Stephen Squire

Introduction

Stephen Squire was a teacher at Penrice Academy in Cornwall from 1 September 2019 to 16 July 2020. On 8 November 2024, Plymouth Crown Court convicted him of attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, and attempting to sexually communicate with a child. He was sentenced on 12 December 2024 to three years and four months’ imprisonment, made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order, and added to the sex offenders register indefinitely. A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found the allegations proven and Stephen Squire was banned from teaching for life, with no review period.

Background Information

The offending took place between 2 and 30 June 2020. In a Notice of Meeting dated 11 May 2026, the TRA alleged that Squire had been convicted of a relevant offence. Not present or represented at the panel, Squire had requested the allegations be considered without a hearing; the TRA agreed, and he provided a signed Statement of Agreed Facts dated 10 October 2025 admitting a conviction of a relevant offence.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. Stephen Squire was convicted by a criminal court, and his convictions are matters of court record accepted by the TRA panel as conclusive proof; nothing in this section is an unadjudicated allegation. He admitted the facts before the panel, in a signed Statement of Agreed Facts, per the decision; in the criminal proceedings he pleaded not guilty, and the jury rejected his defence.

Between 2 and 30 June 2020, Squire communicated with a person using the profile “Gemma”, a girl aged 12, through the online chat platform #1 Chat Avenue and the social media applications Snapchat and Kik. “In reality, ‘Gemma’ was an uncover [sic] police officer,” the sentencing remarks state, and “it was [Mr Squire] who started the chat having sought out the team chat room on Chat Avenue.” He was told “Gemma” was 12, received two photographs showing a young female, and heard details of her life consistent with being a child, including attending school. “The jury rejected your assertion that you believed Gemma to be an adult engaged in roleplay and found that [Mr Squire] believed that she was under the age of 13.”

The convictions covered three counts:

• Count 1: on 5 June 2020 Squire encouraged “Gemma” to penetrate her vagina with her middle finger, and on 9 June asked if she wanted to repeat this and encouraged her to do it.
• Count 2: on 17 June 2020 he sent two videos of himself masturbating.
• Count 3: he said he wanted “Gemma” to get naked, and for her to touch his penis.

A police report of 9 April 2022 considered by the panel recorded that he sent images of an erect penis, incited “Gemma” to touch herself as well as touching boys’ penises at the park, and requested images of the 12-year-old. A certificate of conviction confirmed the three convictions. Finding no evidence of exceptional circumstances, the panel accepted the certificate as conclusive proof and found allegations 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c) proven.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The panel considered Squire’s behaviour “grave”: his actions had “a clear intention to engage in sexual communication with a child”, and although he was corresponding with an undercover law enforcement operative, he was made aware he was corresponding with a child but continued. The offending “was not a one off incident” and the panel was satisfied it was “a calculated course of conduct”. He had no previous convictions, but with no character references the panel “did not accept that the incident was out of character”.

The sentencing remarks supplied an aggravating angle: “Your job, whilst not a factor in the commission of the offence, such that it would have been significant aggravation, nevertheless meant you had a clear understanding of the impact on children that online sexual exploitation can have.” As a teacher, the panel noted, Squire would have been aware of the impact of sexual offences against children yet sought out this communication in any case.

He admitted the allegations in the Statement of Agreed Facts, but the panel noted he had entered a “Not Guilty” plea, and weighed a handwritten letter to the TRA dated 4 March 2026:

“Whilst I do not contest that I was convicted I have maintained a not guilty plea through the investigation, trial and to this date. Whilst I acknowledge this holds no weight with a jury not finding my defence more credible than the prosecutions case. That said my behaviour did fall short of the expectations of myself and was not that of someone in my position. I therefore expect to be removed from the teacher registry and would/will not do anything to contest this decision.”

The panel concluded that Squire “had not taken full accountability for his actions”, saw “no evidence of Mr Squire displaying any remorse for his actions”, and found the risk of repetition “high”. It recommended a prohibition order with immediate effect, without a review period — the published Advice treats serious sexual misconduct, and any sexual misconduct involving a child, as weighing against offering one.

Current Status

The panel determination is dated 26 May 2026; the decision on behalf of the Secretary of State was taken by decision maker David Oatley, dated 27 May 2026. Squire “is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England” and “shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach”. The order takes effect from the date it is served on him, with a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days of notice. The outcome was published on 11 June 2026.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The criminal consequences stand alongside the ban: three years and four months’ imprisonment, a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and indefinite placement on the sex offenders register. The prohibition order ends his teaching career permanently — with no review period, he may never apply to have the ban lifted — and the panel judged that “any contribution that Mr Squire could make to the teaching profession in the future was outweighed by the seriousness of his conduct”. His own letter anticipated the result while maintaining that he did not contest the conviction.

Sources

• Teaching Regulation Agency, “Teacher misconduct panel outcome: Mr Stephen Squire,” published 11 June 2026 — source