A TEACHER WHO admitted a “once-off” sexual encounter with a former student has failed in an attempt to block phone evidence obtained by their former partner being used in a fitness-to-teach inquiry.
The teacher, who cannot be identified due to court orders, submitted that the evidence deemed admissible by a Teaching Council disciplinary committee panel was unlawfully garnered from their Snapchat social media account without consent.
The teacher is the subject of an ongoing inquiry into their fitness to practise after allegations were raised by the teacher’s ex-partner about a relationship between the teacher and a former student, including alleged social media communications between the pair.
The contact is alleged to have occurred prior to, and after, the student completed the Leaving Certificate. The teacher accepted that there had been a “once-off” sexual encounter between the two after the Leaving Cert’s completion but denied any regular contact with the student.
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