Teacher jailed for having sex with boy, 15, he groomed on Grindr while boasting that he was a ‘sex-obsessed pervert’ before blaming his actions on classroom stress is banned from profession for life

• ‘Unremorseful’ teacher jailed for having sex with teenage boy he met on Grindr
• Craig Slater has now been banned from teaching for life over the misconduct
• He tried to claim his vile actions on the stress he faced in the teaching industry

An ‘unremorseful’ teacher jailed for having sex with a 15-year-old boy he groomed on Grindr has been banned from the profession for life after trying to blame his vile actions on the stress of the industry.

Craig Slater, 41, who was jailed for five years and three months in April last year, described himself as a ‘sex-obsessed pervert’ and has ‘demonstrated a concerning lack of insight and remorse’ over the offending.

A court had heard the disgraced IT master was ‘addicted to porn’ when he abused the boy while employed at Byrchall High School in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Great Manchester.

In sick chats between himself and his teenage victim, he told the boy he wanted to meet him dressed in his school uniform.

Fiona McLaren, who chaired a misconduct panel after the offences were made known, said Slater had ‘accepted a prohibition order was appropriate’ and ‘indicated he did not wish to teach again’. 

In the letter, Slater also partially blamed the offences on ‘the working conditions he faced as a teacher, including increased pressure and an unrelenting emphasis on targets’.

Craig Slater, 41, who was jailed for five years and three months in April last year, described himself as a ‘sex-obsessed pervert’ and has ‘demonstrated a concerning lack of insight and remorse’ over the offending

Ms McLaren said: ‘The panel considered that Mr Slater demonstrated a concerning lack of insight and remorse.

‘He did not appear to appreciate the gravity of his conduct; he had exploited his position of trust, engaged in grooming behaviour and committed serious offences against a child. There was little evidence that Mr Slater had taken steps to address his offending behaviour.

‘For this reason, the panel considered there was no strong evidence that it would not be repeated.’

On Halloween October 2019, the Sexual Crime Unit executed a warrant at an address in Wigan, where the teenager’s mobile phone which contained incriminating WhatsApp messages was recovered.

‘They were sexual in nature, contained sexual images and suggested that Mr Slater and the boy had engaged in sexual contact,’ the panel was told.

In May 2020, the boy admitted having sex with Slater and said the teacher was aware of his age.

He explained that he met Slater on an adult dating application, Grindr, and had initially told him that he was aged 16. He later admitted to Slater he was 15 but they still met at least six times. 

Slater was arrested the same day and sentenced at Bolton Crown Court in April 2021 for multiple offences.

A court had heard the disgraced IT master was ‘addicted to porn’ when he abused the boy while employed at Byrchall High School (pictured) in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Great Manchester

The rap sheet included sexual activity with a child, sexual communication with a child, making/possessing indecent images of a child, inciting a child to watch sexual activity and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The panel was particularly concerned that, upon learning that the boy in question was 15, Slater did not cease communications with the child or take any steps to seek to safeguard the child.

‘Instead, he continued to pursue sexual contact and sexual conversations with him for his own gratification,’ Ms McLaren said.

Banning him from teaching for life, Sarah Buxcey, for the Education Secretary, said: ‘The panel found Mr Slater’s conduct was at the most serious end of the spectrum.

‘The evidence contained within the bundle relating to Mr Slater’s conduct was disturbing and caused the panel significant concern.’

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