The headteacher of a primary school, Tom Singleton Framlingham Paedophile, who was imprisoned following the discovery of over a million child abuse images on his computer, has now been permanently prohibited from working as a teacher.
Tom Singleton, a resident of Framlingham in Suffolk, served as the headmaster of Mendlesham Primary School in the same county until his arrest in 2021.
The Teaching Regulation Agency convened earlier this month to deliberate on whether the Secretary of State should impose a lifelong prohibition on him from the teaching profession. The agency has subsequently released its verdict.
Based on behalf of the education secretary, David Oatley made the ultimate decision and deemed a ban “essential”.
Tom Singleton, who was 41 at the time, was incarcerated in October 2022 following the discovery by National Crime Agency Officers that he had produced “deep-fake” images. These images involved digitally placing himself in photographs to create the illusion of participating in sexual acts with youngsters.
In addition, he possessed a “paedophile manual”, including explicit instructions on how to engage in the sexual abuse of children while avoiding detection. Furthermore, he had in his possession laptops and hard drives containing a total of 1,050,448 indecent photographs of children, 45,216 banned images of children, and 52 highly pornographic images.
Officers additionally retrieved several online chat logs in which Tom Singleton engaged in conversations with other individuals who have a sexual attraction to children, discussing the topic of child sexual abuse.
Hand-drawn flow charts connected to documents detailing instances of child abuse were additionally discovered within his residence.
Tom Singleton, who held the position of safety lead at his school during the investigation, voluntarily resigned from his teaching position while the investigation was ongoing.
The panel determined that Tom Singleton did not meet the required standards of a teacher to a significant degree.
Mr Oatley characterised Tom Singleton’s wrongdoing as “exceptionally grave” and stated that the order would ensure the safety of future children and protect the well-being of students.
“I believe it is imperative to enforce a prohibition order to uphold public trust in the profession,” he stated.
“Considering the gravity of the proven allegations against him, I have determined that Mr. Tom Singleton will be denied the opportunity to seek reinstatement of his teaching credentials.”
The injunction will prohibit Tom Singleton from instructing at any educational institution, sixth-form college, youth housing, or children’s residence in England.
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