Sex offender vows never to work with kids again

A disgraced principal jailed for sexually abusing young boys is undergoing a sex offenders programme in prison and vows never to work with children again.

Leslie Ronald Hay, 58, was jailed in April last year after admitting indecently assaulting three boys under the age of 12 between 1979 and 1984. The former Pleasant Point teacher met his victims while principal at Glentunnel Primary School in Canterbury, where he lived next door with two foster boys.

Hay was struck off after a Teachers Council disciplinary tribunal hearing in June.

In a letter written from prison and released yesterday, Hay said he had no wish to defend the complaint against him and did not intend to seek re-employment in the education field upon his release.

"The offending took place more than 25 years ago, and I have had 25 years successful teaching since then, but, in my eyes, and I am sure in the eyes of society, this makes no difference to the fact that I am a convicted sex offender," Hay said in the letter.

Documents issued yesterday by the Teachers Council also show that a teacher has been struck off for having a sexual relationship with one of her teenage pupils.

The woman, who is in her early 30s and has two young children, says she is deeply ashamed and blames a relationship break-up with her former fiance for leaving her "emotionally vulnerable".

The woman's life slid out of control after she and the youth, who was 12 years her junior, were caught. She was disowned by her parents, admitted to hospital for depression, and twice tried to take her own life.

Post-Primary Teachers Association president Robin Duff said any inappropriate pupil-teacher relationship was a concern, but the profession was "pretty clearly policed and overly examined", with clear professional standards.

Other tribunal decisions made public yesterday include:

A primary school principal admitted serious misconduct after viewing pornography on his work computer, then failing to report it to the board. He has agreed to see a psychiatrist.

A relieving intermediate school teacher was struck off for fraud after pretending to have higher qualifications to secure a more senior position with extra pay.