A former Gravesend teacher is facing a potential ban after a misconduct hearing revealed serious allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Gravesend: A teacher is in hot water after some pretty serious allegations came to light. Thomas Page, who used to work at Whitehill Primary School, got caught up in an undercover police operation.
Back in 2021, he was arrested for chatting inappropriately with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. He was charged with making indecent images of children and trying to communicate sexually with a minor.
Page had been at the school for a decade before his arrest. He was caught making lewd comments and even tried to arrange a meeting for sex with the undercover officer posing as a young girl.
When police seized his phone, they found he was part of a group chat where indecent images were shared. He admitted to the charges and was sentenced to eight months in prison, which was suspended for two years.
During a recent misconduct hearing, Page didn’t show up and didn’t have anyone representing him. The panel heard about the graphic nature of his conversations and the serious charges against him, including having a stash of indecent images.
Since he’s already been convicted, there were no witnesses needed for the hearing. The panel will decide soon whether to ban him from teaching altogether.
Along with his suspended sentence, Page is now on the sex offenders register and has a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next ten years. He’s also been ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay some costs.
Whitehill Primary School has been asked for a comment, but it’s a tough situation for everyone involved.
