Yahoo News Primary school head teacher sacked for failing to disclose friendship with paedophile
A head teacher at a British primary school has been sacked after she failed to disclose her friendship with a convicted paedophile.
Caroline Reilly bought a property with Ian Selwood in 2003 after the pair became friends and they shared a bank account that paid their mortgage.
Selwood lived at the property and Ms Reilly sometimes stayed overnight, but the pair were not in a sexual relationship.
In February 2009, Ms Reilly was at the property when police arrived and arrested Selwood – seven months before she was appointed head of the school, which cannot be named for legal reasons.
Selwood was convicted of making indecent images of children by downloading them on to his computer in 2010 but he and Ms Reilly remained friends, even holidaying together in April 2010.
Ms Reilly was suspended and later sacked when the local authority found about the pair’s undisclosed friendship.
MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO
Freezing weather expected this weekend as Met Office issues yellow warning for snow and ice
Watch: Shocking moment gang member grabs pen and attacks witness in court before being shot dead
Memorial benches installed by relatives of the deceased ‘are turning beauty spots into graveyards’
Her claims of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination were rejected, and the Supreme Court have now dismissed her final appeal against that verdict.
The disciplinary panel that sacked Ms Reilly was particularly concerned by her refusal to accept that her relationship may have posed a risk to pupils, the Supreme Court was told.
The court ruled that the panel had acted reasonably.
