Matthew Udall has been permanently banned from the classroom
A teacher gave a young pupil a pen containing a hidden camera – and encouraged her to change her clothes before using it.
Matthew Udall, 33, has now been given an indefinite ban from the profession.
A Teaching Regulation Agency panel found that his actions were “sexually motivated” and “had the potential to cause serious harm to the pupil”.
The former science teacher was employed by a Warwickshire school at the time of the incident.
He had encouraged the pupil to change her clothes at home before writing in a journal with the pen.
He did not tell her that it contained a camera.
The panel noted that there was “no indication Mr Udall had succeeded in his attempt, but his intentions were clear from the conviction he received”.
The pupil spotted the camera lens on the pen and confided in a friend and another teacher, who informed the headteacher, according to the TRA decision.
Udall was arrested in July 2022. A little over two years later, he pleaded guilty to inciting or causing a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, no penetration, and attempting to observe a person doing a private act.
He was sentenced to 31 months in prison.
The panel said that it “was not provided with any evidence to demonstrate that Mr Udall had shown insight and remorse in relation to his conduct”.
It recommended that a prohibition order be “imposed with immediate effect” with no provision for a review period as it was “unable to say with any degree of certainty that there was a low risk of Mr Udall repeating his actions”.
The panel added that Udall “sought to conceal” his actions by telling the pupil to “exclude their parent”.
David Oatley, acting on behalf of the secretary of state, agreed with the panel’s recommendations and made the prohibition order with no review period, owing to the serious nature of the offence, “the lack of evidence of insight and remorse, and the risk of repetition”.
Udall has been banned from the profession indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, children’s home or relevant youth accommodation.
“Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Udall shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach,” Mr Oatley wrote.
Udall may appeal the order to the High Court within 28 days.
If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call Childline free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331