PE teacher banned after ringing colleague 70 times on Christmas Day
A physical education teacher who pleaded guilty to harassment after calling a colleague 70 times and was also found in possession of cocaine has been banned from class.
Ben Russell worked as a physical education teacher at Ellis Guilford School in Nottingham from September 2014 until his suspension in January 2022.
He was given a restraining order by the Teaching Regulation Authority on May 7 after three allegations about his behavior were deemed proven by a panel.
Mr Russell’s behavior towards a colleague, referred to as Person A, was reported to the school’s senior leadership team in 2021.
He also conveyed his concerns to the school about Person A’s behavior towards him outside the school environment.
The panel found that the physical education teacher swore at Person A during lunch break at school in November 2021.
The panel also found that Mr Russell had sent Facebook messages about Person A to another colleague, referred to as Person B, saying they were “bad” and using expletives such as “fuck” and “s***t”.
Person B reported the messages to the school. The board found the messages were inappropriate but did not consider them offensive.
Mr Russell’s behavior towards Person A also led to him pleading guilty to harassment at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court in June 2022.
In December 2021, Person A was eating dinner outside when Mr. Russell walked by and began yelling at them.
Later on Christmas Day 2021, Mr. Russell called Person A more than 70 times.
He was arrested on Boxing Day for alleged harassment and a small bag of cocaine was found in his possession. He also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine in the magistrates’ court.
Mr Russell was fined for these offenses and given a 12-month restraining order preventing him from contacting Person A or visiting a particular address.
The Board found that the allegations facing the teacher were true, but considered that the messages sent to Person B did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct.
However, the court found that the convictions affected Mr Russell’s eligibility to teach.
He was banned from teaching indefinitely. He/she can apply to have the decision annulled, but not until May 2028.
