Robert Hanson

Introduction

Robert Hanson is a former Bristol teacher who was banned from the profession for life in August 2021 after being convicted of grooming a child and having sexual intercourse with them. Hanson, who was employed at West Town Lane Academy at the time of the offence, met the child at a gaming convention in Birmingham in April 2019. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in April 2020, and a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency later found that he had been convicted of a relevant offence. On the panel’s recommendation, Alan Meyrick, deciding on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, prohibited him from teaching indefinitely, with no review period and no entitlement to apply for restoration.

Background Information

Robert Hanson was born on 27 February 1991. At the time of the offence he was employed as a teacher at West Town Lane Academy, Bristol, and his case was recorded by the Teaching Regulation Agency under teacher reference number 19310. The offence did not arise from his own classroom: the panel found that, although the victim was not a pupil at the school Hanson taught at, the victim was a child. The panel noted that it was not provided with any evidence of Hanson’s proficiency as a qualified teacher, and the seriousness of the offending behaviour was found to be directly relevant to his ongoing suitability to teach.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

On 19 April 2019, Hanson attended a “gaming convention” at the Birmingham NEC arena. At the convention he took part in a game of “guessing the ages” of the participants, a game played in a group that included children. During the game, Hanson learned that one of those children, referred to in the proceedings as Pupil A, was a child; the criminal charges later brought against him stated that Pupil A was under 16 years of age.

Hanson did not end the contact there. After the convention, he communicated with Pupil A via text message and social media. During those conversations, he and Pupil A discussed being together and having sexual intercourse. Hanson then purchased a train ticket for Pupil A, allowing the child to travel to Bristol, where Hanson lived. The two met in Bristol on 25 May 2019, and on that same day Hanson and Pupil A had sexual intercourse. Hanson admitted each of these facts in the later misconduct proceedings.

The involvement of the police followed within weeks. On 3 June 2019, Hanson was arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a child. He was subsequently charged with two offences contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003: first, meeting a child under 16 years of age following grooming; and second, engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child, contrary to sections 9 and 13 of the Act. At the relevant time Hanson had been employed as a teacher, but Pupil A was a child he met outside school rather than a pupil at West Town Lane Academy.

On 24 March 2020, Hanson pleaded guilty to both offences. He was sentenced on 17 April 2020 to four years’ imprisonment, made subject to a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely. His conviction was confirmed by a certificate of conviction dated 2 February 2021. When the Teaching Regulation Agency brought misconduct proceedings on the basis of that conviction, Hanson signed a statement of agreed facts on 7 May 2021, admitted the conviction of a relevant offence, and accepted that the allegations against him were made out.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case was dealt with on the papers rather than at a hearing. After taking into account the public interest and the interests of justice, the TRA agreed to Hanson’s request that the allegation be considered without a hearing, and a professional conduct panel chaired by Dr Steven Berryman convened by MS Teams on 25 August 2021. The panel found the allegation proved and found that Hanson’s conduct breached the Teachers’ Standards, including observing proper boundaries appropriate to a teacher’s professional position and having regard to the need to safeguard pupils’ well-being. It found no mitigating factors, found his actions calculated and sexually motivated, and determined that he had shown neither insight nor remorse. The panel found that Hanson was “responsible for grooming and subsequently having sexual intercourse with a child”, recommended prohibition with immediate effect, and advised that no review period be set. On 26 August 2021, Alan Meyrick, deciding on behalf of the Secretary of State, imposed the order, noting the conviction was for sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old and that the lack of insight and remorse created a risk of repetition.

Current Status

Robert Hanson is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Because no review period was attached to the order, there is no date at which he can ask for the prohibition to be reconsidered. In addition, because of the seriousness of the findings proved against him, Meyrick decided that Hanson “shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach”, permanently closing the usual route back to the classroom. The order took effect from the date on which it was served on him. Hanson had a right of appeal to the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court within 28 days of being given notice of the order.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The prohibition order ended Hanson’s teaching career permanently and, combined with his criminal sanctions, forecloses any return to work with children. The panel noted that Hanson had been given the opportunity to present evidence of mitigating circumstances but had chosen not to do so, and it identified nothing to offset the seriousness of the offending. Meyrick accordingly gave less weight to Hanson’s contribution to the profession, concluding that a published decision without remorse or insight could not satisfy the public interest in maintaining confidence in teaching. Hanson was 29 years old at the time of sentencing, and the bar on teaching applies for the rest of his life.

Sources

• Department for Education, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Robert Hanson” — source