Teacher struck off for sending naked picture

A teacher has been struck off for sending a naked and sexually explicit picture of himself to a group of young women.

Nemiya Rookwood, 33, worked at Lincoln University Technical College when the incident took place in 2018.

At a Teaching Regulation Agency hearing, Mr Rookwood denied 13 allegations and did not accept he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

However, the panel found his actions brought the reputation of teaching into disrepute and said his conduct "fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession".

Mr Rookwood faced 13 allegations, 12 of which were found unproven.

The panel, however, proved an allegation that he had sent unsolicited and intimate images of himself naked to a group of young women he had met in a business context.

None were pupils and they were all adults.

A Lincoln UTC spokesperson said: "Once the school was made aware of the allegations against Mr Rookwood, we launched an immediate review which led to his prompt termination."

The panel concluded Mr Rookwood had failed to observe proper boundaries and had failed to have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the school.

On making its decision, it gave credit to him for admitting to a witness at the time that he had sent a sexually explicit image.

However, it noted he did not provide "any explanation for his misconduct" and did not "demonstrate any remorse".

The panel added: "Mr Rookwood was in his first years of teaching at the time of the misconduct, and the panel was concerned by his lack of insight, signifying a risk of repetition in the future".

The Secretary of State agreed to implement a prohibition order banning Mr Rookwood from teaching for eight years. He cannot apply for it to be set aside until December 2032.

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