November 23, 2008

Teacher accused of sexual relationship with former student runs for council

A former teacher at a Shildon School, who was officially sacked recently on the grounds of his sickness record, has since been accused of having a sexual relationship with a former pupil.

The details of the conduct between Mark Walker, who lives in Spennymoor, and the 17 year-old in question came to light after elements of an investigation into his behaviour were leaked to a regional newspaper. Mr. Walker has denied the allegations, claiming they are politically motivated. The technology teacher believes his suspension from Sunnydale Community College to be based on accusations that he had visited right-wing websites on a college laptop.

A report produced by the NSPCC, however, claims that he was suspended for viewing adult pornography with a colleague during school hours, using school equipment. The report, which was carried out for the Durham Children and Young People Services, adds that a number of emails were found on his school computer which indicated a sexual relationship between himself and the former pupil. The report finishes by saying, "The NSPCC believes that there is sufficient evidence from the emails and from previous matters concerning his professional conduct to conclude that Mr. Walker's behaviour has resulted in his conduct being less than one would expect of a teacher placed in a position of trust."

Mr Walker commented on this latest allegation, saying, "My former bosses have made a continually shifting set of allegations against me. "Each time an allegation has been answered, more have been advanced. At base their motives are political." Only days after the allegations were made against Mr Walker, he has decided to run for one of two vacant spots on Shildon Town Council. Although he lives in Spennymoor, Mark is eligible to stand in the Sunnydale Ward as he has been employed there for 12 months prior to December 11th, election day. He will also have to have had ten signitures from residents of the Sunnydale Ward.

Mr Walker will be the only British National Party candidate vying for a position, competing against a record number of candidates. Mark's brother, Adam Walker, was involved in a similar situation,quitting his job as a technology teacher in February 2007 after being suspended for accessing right-wing websites during school hours at his school, Houghton Kepier, a foundation school in Houghton-le- Spring.

Adam, 39, has since won an appeal to have an expresident of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) removed from a General Teaching Council committee, who will consider the charge of misconduct brought against him. Mr Walker believed that the presence of Judy Moorhouse could bias the hearing. The meeting, which was due to take place in Birmingham on Monday, November 17th, was therefore adjourned. Police officers were on duty outside of the building where dozens of BNP supporters had gathered to support Mr. Walker.

Original Article

5 comments:

Richard Barnbrook said...

This is why I prefered to teach in a country where no-one spoke any English.

Anonymous said...

Given all this publicity you would think that the BNP would stop with the endless rubbish about white girls being sexually abused by non- whites, which seems to be the thrust of their "racism cuts both ways" campaign. You would think that they would shut up out of sheer embarrassment but it seems they are too stupid to realize that what they are actually saying is nonsense, in the face of crushing proof from within their own ranks!

Anonymous said...

The only things that have shifted in this saga are the excuses made by Mark Walker to explain his suspension from work. At different times, to different audiences, he has stated that he was suspended for either viewing the bnp website from his school laptop during lessons OR his suspension resulted from his standing for the bnp in the May 2007 local elections. He was suspended in March 2007, the month before nominations for the elections opened never mind closed. We know that a key requirement of bnp membership is the suspension of disbelief but, come on, you'd have to be a proper mug to be taken in Walker's lies.

The NSPCC must have firm evidence on which to state that Walker was/is having a sexual relationship with a former pupil. Has he denied this anywhere? If the NSPCC is lying or is part of a Jewish/Common Purpose/Trotskyite/Islamic conspiracy to undermine faith in St Mark of Spennymoor, then Squalidarity would be on the case big time and he'd be quids in.

Harrington has stated that he is taking the case further. There's no where to take it, Pat. You'd be laughed out of any court or tribunal. Besides, I've heard it said that Mark Walker has refused to answer questions about his sexual relationship with his former pupil. He'd probably put a sick note in when faced with further questioning too. One question he can't face is this: how old was the girl when your sexual relationship with her started, Mr Walker?

On the basis of press coverage of the NSPCC report it is extremely unlikely that Mark Walker will set foot in a classroom again. And quite right too.

The brothers Walker are in denial. They both know their careers are over and are only delaying the inevitable hence Adam's GTC antics. Mark is happy to join in: the perpetrator as victim, classic stuff.

Ironically, at the time of Mark Walker's suspension, Durham bnp had been putting out leaflets with a focus on paedophilia. Today no one in the NE bnp has the guts to challenge the Walkers. The brothers are seen to have the ear of Cyclops and eat at the top table. Barnbrook attended Adam's recent wedding; he seems quite smitten by Amanda, by all accounts. Second echelon figures like Jefferson and Scott are getting mileage out of this too. In the case of the latter he doesn't have to get his hands dirty and it gives him something to write about on his cutting edge civil liberty website.

There's only one political party in the country that would have allowed a teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17 year old former pupil (and no one apart from Walker and the girl and probably the NSPCC who've seen their email correspondence know for how long they'd been an item) to represent them in an election: that's the same party that can't keep its membership list off the internet.

At the recent bnp conference, Mark Walker made reference to his wife and parents and the indignity they had suffered from the publicity surrounding the exposure of his relationship with the 17 year old. Until he acknowledges his responsibility and culpability in this whole sordid affair there can be no closure neither for his wife (bnp candidate in 07 and 08) nor himself or the girl. Surely Adam should realise this and, if he truly loves his brother, help Mark to come to terms with what he has done.

We'll not hold our breath...

Anonymous said...

At a recent Assembly meeting in Barking & Dagenham Rustem from the BNP stated that primary school teachers were all paedeophiles, this was a follow up statement where he had asked an original question about Sex Education for primary school children.

Anonymous said...

BNP legal madman Lee Barnes has claimed on his weird blog that BNP candidate Mark Walker is being persecuted! I hardly doubt it you propagandising BNP nutter - not when the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children raise concerns about Mark Walker's sex emails to a 17 yr girl. There's no way the BNP can spin their way out of this one. It's political correctness gone mad! Just thank god Mark Walker isn't Asian, otherwise the BNP would be baying for his blood.