Teacher convicted of stalking a colleague finally fired

A teacher convicted of stalking a colleague by sending her dozens of texts a day and lingering outside her home for hours has finally lost his job after an Education Department legal victory.

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A teacher convicted of stalking a colleague, has finally been sacked after the Education Department appealed against an earlier decision which prevented firing him.

The Employment Tribunal labelled the man “self absorbed and obsessive” and concluded it was not appropriate for a person convicted of stalking an ex-partner to teach children aged 11 to 13 about important issues like domestic violence.

At the height of his obsessive and “menacing” behaviour the teacher was sending his former partner upwards of 50 text messages a day, would drop by her house and classroom uninvited.

During one incident in December 2014 and detailed before the Tribunal, the man drove after his ex-partner following a school concert, forced her to pull over and then shouted at her on the side of the road.

The teacher, whom The Sunday Mail has not named to protect the identity of his victim, started a relationship with a fellow teacher in 2007.

That relationship ended in 2012 but remained cordial until the ex-partner started a new relationship.

When he found about the relationship the teacher’s interactions with the woman “intensified” and included the sending of letters and gifts.

He would attend her class before and after school as well as during recess and lunch and would visit her house unattended several times a week.

He also sent numerous text messages and made unsolicited phone calls to another teacher who tried to intervene and stop the harassing behaviour.

The school principal alerted the Education Department only days after the school concert incident and the ex-partner went to the police.

The teacher was cautioned for stalking but the behaviour continued, sending 60 messages from 15 different phone numbers over a matter of weeks.

He was arrested in January 2015 and charged with stalking. He was ordered to stay away from the school and was placed on leave.

Between March and April he tried to contact his ex-partner 50 times and was finally arrested and charged with aggravated stalking.

He was later fined $1000 and convicted.

An internal Education Department investigation found the teacher had been persistently harassing his victim and his employment was terminated.

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The teacher appealed his termination to the Employment Tribunal.

Despite finding that the teacher was lacking in insight, labouring under self-delusions and was self-absorbed, now retired Judge Peter Hannon reinstated the teacher.

Judge Hannon noted that the teacher had behaved well after being transferred to another school.

The Education Department appealed that ruling to the full sitting of the Employment Tribunal.

In a ruling earlier this month the Tribunal unanimously overturned the earlier ruling and ordered the teacher be dismissed.

Deputy President Judge Tony Rossi said Judge Hannon had not taken into account the impact of the offending on the teacher’s pupils.

“The Judge was in error in failing to address properly the risk to the reputation of the Department and the potential impact upon (the teacher’s) relationship with the students in the future in all the circumstances,” he said.

An Education Department spokesman said the teacher had been on administrative duties during the appeal process and was now dismissed.