A FORMER headteacher has been barred after he was caught discussing sexually abusing children on a fetish website.
Paul Brown, 54, was the headteacher and designated safeguarding lead at Bransgore Church of England Primary School when his actions were revealed by an undercover police officer, a report shows.
A teaching misconduct panel found that between July 4, 2023 and July 12, 2023, Mr Brown used a BDSM website, including during school hours, to have inappropriate conversations about the abuse of children.
A report published by the Teaching Regulation Agency said Mr Brown was arrested on July 18, 2023, and suspended from his role.
By December 8, 2023, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police concluded the investigation with no further action.
During an internal investigation, Mr Brown reportedly admitted to using the fetish website in his car during work hours but away from the school site.
He said in an internal interview that he was unknowingly speaking to an undercover police officer.
It was said that the woman messaging him suggested she sexually abused her own daughters, aged five and nine.
Mr Brown allegedly said he had been in a relationship with a woman in the past who had done the same, and that he had been sexually involved with her and the children.
However, he later said this was a fantasy and not true.
The pair spoke about introducing Mr Brown to the children, and he reportedly told the woman to teach the girls how to French kiss beforehand.
Eventually Mr Brown said ‘he was not the right person for her’ and blocked the account.
He later told police that he thought it was all a fantasy and the children did not exist, but when he heard children in the background of a phone call he blocked her.
Mr Brown apologised and said he regretted having the conversations but said it was a one off and he was in a bad place mentally.
He said due to his own childhood experiences he had a “dark morbid and intense fascination” with understanding what the woman had done to her children.
Following his suspension, Mr Brown said he has undergone counselling to ‘understand his mental health issues’.
The misconduct panel also noted that in Mr Brown’s role to protect children he should have reported the woman’s account to police.
It was said the panel remain “extremely concerned that Mr Brown’s actions could be repeated”.
Mr Brown had been headteacher at the school since September 2013.
He was handed a prohibition order indefinitely, banning him from teaching, with no provision for a review period.
A spokesperson for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police said: “Following notification of messages of a concerning nature online, we arrested a 54-year-old from Ringwood on suspicion of attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence.
“As part of the arrest, a number of electronic devices were seized and examined.
“No indecent images or evidence of criminal activity was found on those devices.
“After consulting with the CPS, no further action was taken in this matter.”
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