Locations
Alford Close, Exeter, Devon, EX1
Description
A disgraced maths teacher jailed for having phone sex with a 14-year-old former pupil – who later tried to kill herself – sought legal advice on suing her for 'harassment', a hearing was told.
Richard Ariss, 29, was sentenced to a year in prison for abusing the girl earlier this year and has now been banned from the classroom for life.
Ariss taught the girl, referred to only as Pupil A, in Years 7 and 9 at a school in the Plymouth area.
After he left for a job at another school in Torbay, he set up a Facebook page as a teaching tool. It was through this that the girl's parents contacted him to arrange private tuition.
But just before the first lesson, her shocked mother found Ariss had been sexting her daughter and called the police.
Exeter Crown Court heard Ariss told the girl to delete texts and messages he sent on another, private Facebook page and told her to store his number as 'random male'.
Prosecutor Peter Coombe told the court hearing in March: 'Shortly after this came to light she overdosed on paracetamol and her mother found farewell letters to friends, one of which was to the defendant and indicated they had planned to meet.'
His messages encouraged her to perform sex acts on herself and showed that on one occasion he had got her to ring him so he could listen to her.
Mr Coombe said: 'The aggravating features are inciting her to penetrate herself and suggesting she should perform oral sex on him. There was significant planning and he has groomed her over time in gross breach of trust.'
Ariss worked at the victim's school from qualifying in July 2010 to May 2014, when he moved from Combe Martin, North Devon, to Exeter, to start his new job.
In February this year, he admitted three offences of inciting a child to take part in sexual activity in September 2014 and was jailed for a year.
But a report by a misconduct panel revealed that when asked to explain himself to teaching watchdogs Ariss showed little remorse.
'Throughout the various investigations, hearings and the trial, Mr Ariss, for the most part, still seems to be focussing on himself and the impact that his actions have had on him,' the findings stated.
The panel note that in his letter of mitigation dated 7 July 2016 and sent from prison, he states that he had been advised by his barrister and solicitors that, if the situation had been different, he could have sued Pupil A for harassment.
'The panel commented that specifically referring to this point reinforces their view that he has shown very little insight into his actions.'
The misconduct panel agreed with the trial judge that the teacher's actions were 'planned and premeditated' and it was 'a classic case of what is called "grooming"'.
It also noted the judge's remarks that 'had the relationship between Mr Ariss and Pupil A continued, there would have been sexual contact', adding: 'Mr Ariss had a blatant disregard for safeguarding policies that would have been in place at the schools in which he taught and which he would have been aware of.
'Pupil A was a vulnerable 14-year-old student (Mr Ariss was 28 at the time of the relationship).
'Even to the extent that Mr Ariss did not know this before he started tutoring her, this would have become clear to him very shortly thereafter. His actions took advantage of this vulnerability.
'The actions of Mr Ariss clearly had a very significant impact on Pupil A (who was already vulnerable), in that she tried to take her own life shortly after these matters came to a conclusion.'
The girl sobbed as she stood in the witness box at Exeter Crown Court in March when she asked for her abuser to be jailed.
She said: 'I have struggled to sleep, I have self harmed, and taken an overdose. I have struggled with feeling responsible, even though I know it was not my fault.
'I have had trouble at school with people laughing at me behind my back and calling me names. I am scared to walk down corridors because of what everyone is thinking about me.'
Recorder Mr Andrew, QC, told Ariss: 'Your contact with the girl became increasingly intimate and sexualised. You gained her trust and she spoke of things which were worrying her.
'You encouraged her to touch herself sexually and discussed her performing oral sex. These were repeated offences.
'You were intending to meet her and this was only prevented because her mother saw the texts.
'I have no hesitation in concluding that if you had met there would have been sexual contact. Behaving in this way to a former pupil was a gross breach of trust.
'You were 27 and she was 14. Teachers are supposed to protect pupils, not to abuse them. This was planned and premeditated. It was a classic case of what is called grooming.'