Brit trainer ‘hid relationship’ with paedo as probation officer makes horror discovery
Harriet Brown was a designated safeguarding lead at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Stockton when she concealed regular contact with a convicted child sex offender
Harriet Brown has been banned from teaching following a Teaching Regulation Agency hearing(Image: western mail)
An assistant headteacher has been barred from the profession permanently after concealing an ongoing relationship with a convicted paedophile.
Harriet Brown, previously an assistant head at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Stockton, maintained “regular fortnightly visits and daily phone calls” to the man, who had been imprisoned for sexual offences involving a child under 13.
Once the school discovered the inappropriate association, Miss Brown was suspended and subsequently dismissed following an inquiry. A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel has now prohibited the 31-year-old from teaching indefinitely following a hearing in February.
Documents released by the agency detail how Miss Brown had initially revealed that she had terminated her relationship with the man following her boyfriend’s arrest and charges. However, two months after the separation, the couple re-established regular contact, which persisted after he was convicted at trial for sexual offences against children under 13 in February 2020.
Between July 2020 and October 2023, Miss Brown routinely visited the convicted sex offender at HMP Northumberland yet never revealed their relationship to the school, where she held the position of designated safeguarding lead. Her deception was exposed when a probation officer visiting the convicted sex offender’s parents’ residence encountered Miss Brown.
She initially denied but subsequently acknowledged her relationship with him. The probation officer noted that Miss Brown, who served as a special educational needs and disability coordinator, had not revealed this to the school. The following day, during the October half-term of 2023, the probation officer reported the issue to the local authority designated officer and reached out to another witness.
Upon learning of the situation, the school promptly requested Miss Brown to remain at home while an investigation was conducted, the panel was informed. After a formal procedure, Miss Brown was dismissed from the school in February 2024, and a referral was made to the TRA and Disclosure and Barring Service, reports Teesside Live.
The panel heard evidence of “sustained contact” through regular prison visits and frequent phone calls. Miss Brown also denied the contact when questioned by the headteacher.
In a written response to the TRA investigation in August 2024, Miss Brown stated: “I completely refute that I failed to disclose a relationship with [the sex offender], as there was no relationship to disclose between the dates of February 2020 and October 2023….
“As far as I was concerned the relationship was over, despite [him] repeatedly trying to resume contact and reform the relationship….since November 2019 there has been no reciprocated feelings or any form of an intimate relationship with [him].”
The panel concluded that there was a relationship between the two and even if Miss Brown regarded him as her “ex-boyfriend”, she had failed to disclose the closeness of their relationship.
Miss Brown seemed to have a commendable past, having worked at the school since 2016, and had been promoted to SENDCO, served as acting deputy headteacher, and was appointed assistant headteacher just weeks before the unsuitable relationship was exposed. She had no prior disciplinary issues and was described as “well-respected and trusted”.
However, the panel did not view this as a “momentary lapse of judgement”, instead characterising it as a “sustained period of behaviour”. The panel’s written decision states: “Miss Brown was a designated safeguarding lead, SENDCO and senior leader with responsibility for the protection of children. The panel considered that a safeguarding professional denying contact with an individual convicted of sexual offences against children, while privately maintaining that contact, created a serious safeguarding concern.”
The panel learned that during a meeting with the probation officer she was “crying uncontrollably” but despite her distress, she continued to give an inconsistent account regarding her contact with the sex offender and her awareness of his arrest and crimes.
Her “lack of full insight”, the panel concluded, means there is some risk of recurrence which jeopardises the future wellbeing of pupils. Miss Brown was indefinitely banned from teaching. She can apply for the order to be lifted, but not before April 2029.
A spokesperson for Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, which runs the school, stated: “The TRA’s ruling vindicates our decision to terminate Harriet Brown’s employment. As soon as we became aware that Ms. Brown may have been involved in an inappropriate relationship, she was suspended pending a full investigation.
“That investigation resulted in dismissal. All staff are held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity, and those standards were not met in this case. We thank the TRA for its clear ruling. Safeguarding is taken extremely seriously across our trust and, as this case demonstrates, we act promptly and decisively whenever concerns are raised.”
