A former teacher from North Yorkshire, who was convicted of 20 sexual offences, has been banned for life from the profession.

In May 2023, Jamie Alexander Wheeler admitted the offences at York Crown Court and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

The teacher, formerly of Riccall and Kippax, is still serving his sentence.

On July 1 the Teaching Regulation Agency held a professional conduct hearing to determine whether Wheeler would ever be able to teach again.

Wheeler was not present at the hearing. A team of five panellists sat under legal advice to assess the offences committed by the 33-year-old former teacher.

The offences were: assaulting a boy under 13 by touching, causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity,  meeting a boy under 16 years of age, making indecent photographs of a child and possessing a "paedophile manual".

The hearing was also told of 35,296 indecent images found in Wheeler's possession.

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The report published on the hearing said: "The panel noted that it had been acknowledged at the time of sentencing Mr Wheeler that he pleaded guilty; that he had expressed remorse; and that he had taken some steps himself to deal with his predilections.

"Similarly, the panel considered that public confidence in the profession could be seriously weakened if conduct such as that found against Mr Wheeler were not treated with the utmost seriousness when regulating the conduct of the profession.”

A decision was made to prohibit Wheeler from teaching indefinitely, meaning that he cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. The panel also said he will never be able to apply for this to be overturned.

The report added: "Although it had been acknowledged by the trial judge that Mr Wheeler had taken some steps to deal with his predilections, there is no evidence before this panel of any ongoing rehabilitation; how successful it has been; nor any prognosis for the future.

"There was no evidence before the panel that could indicate that the risk Mr Wheeler poses to children might at some stage be reduced.

"Furthermore, Mr Wheeler will be on the sex offenders’ register for life."