Portsmouth maths teacher who was sentenced for possession with intent to supply cocaine banned from profession

David Thorn, 30, was employed as a maths teacher at The Portsmouth Academy when he was arrested for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

He initially claimed he had bought cocaine from a dealer for his own use, but it was found that the dealer had given him a bag that contained more cocaine, money and a mobile phone.

After admitting possessing cocaine with intent to supply, Mr Thorn was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on August 9, 2019 where he was given an 18-month jail sentence suspended for two years.

He was also told to pay costs of £200 and a £140 victim surcharge.

Now, the Teaching Regulation Agency has prohibited Mr Thorn from teaching indefinitely, but says he can apply for the prohibition order to be set aside from 2026, four years from the date of the order.

If Mr Thorn does apply, a panel will meet to consider his application.

The TRA said that the former teacher did not engage in its professional conduct panel proceedings, and there was ‘no evidence’ to suggest that he ‘demonstrated insight or remorse’ regarding his actions.

Sarah Buxcey, the decision maker on behalf of the Secretary of State, said: ‘In my judgement, the lack of evidence of insight and remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.’

The TRA added that Mr Thorn is guilty of ‘unacceptable professional conduct’ in that he failed to inform The Portsmouth Academy that he was subject to criminal proceedings.

Although Mr Thorn had been arrested by Hampshire Constabulary on April 13, 2019, it was not until April 25 that the Local Authority Designated Officer informed The Portsmouth Academy of the situation.

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Mr Thorn was suspended from The Portsmouth Academy and a school investigation was launched.

At a disciplinary hearing on June 24, 2019, Mr Thorn was summarily dismissed with immediate effect.

A spokesperson for the school said: ‘As soon as we were made aware of this matter, we suspended the individual and then dismissed him.

‘Clearly his behaviour was not only inappropriate but a criminal offence and far from the standards we expect.’