Teacher who lied about being SAS soldier is banned

A lying teacher who told colleagues he was a former SAS soldier and had been shot twice in a war zone has been banned from the profession.

William Sharkey, 38, had also lied about previous jobs and had inappropriate relationships with pupils, a disciplinary hearing found.

The former Religious Studies teacher admitted the allegations, including allowing a pupil into his flat.

He has been given a indefinite teaching ban to be reviewed in five years.

The disciplinary panel found that conduct of Mr Sharkey, who worked at Bryanston School in Dorset between 2015 and 2016 and at Lymm High School in Warrington, Cheshire, "fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession and his conduct may bring the profession into disrepute".

When Mr Sharkey applied to work at Bryanston School he had not disclosed full details of his employment history.

He lied to colleagues about being a member of the SAS and that he had been shot twice in a war zone.

Mr Sharkey had stated in an appeal he had panicked and lied about an old injury when asked by a colleague about his gait when running.

He had also allowed a pupil into his flat after being told by the housemaster that this was neither appropriate or permitted and was dismissed from the school.

When applying for a job at Lymm High School, Mr Sharkey did not mention his employment or dismissal from Bryanston School and also lied he had been employed by the University of Southampton.

Whilst working in Lymm, Mr Sharkey engaged in inappropriate communications with a vulnerable pupil and emailed details to her of what he had been doing in his personal life in an over-familiar nature.

The panel hearing last month found Mr Sharkey to be in breach of upholding public trust in the teaching profession and maintaining high standards of ethics and behaviour and failure to observe proper boundaries and said lying about life experiences "undermines the mutual trust between colleagues and that which pupils place in their teacher".

Decision maker Sarah Buxcey said she was "very concerned that Mr Sharkey had not exhibited any remorse or insight".

He has been banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England and cannot apply for the prohibition order to be set aside until 2 June 2028.

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