Gove challenged over child porn teaching case

The Education Secretary was urged to appear in the Commons to tell MPs why Geoffrey Bettley was reinstated after being cautioned by police for possessing an indecent image of a child.

Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies said many parents would be “deeply disturbed” that Mr Bettley, 36, was allowed to teach again.

Mr Bettley was suspended from St Mary’s Catholic School in Menston, West Yorkshire, in December 2010 after police found nearly 200 child abuse images on his computer. He accepted a police caution and was dismissed by the school following a disciplinary hearing in December 2011.

A professional conduct panel has since ruled that the RE teacher should be allowed to return to teaching after concluding he “does not represent a risk to children and young people”.

The decision was signed off by a senior official at the Department for Education (DfE). A report from Leeds Children and Young People’s Social Care in September 2011 also concluded that Mr Bettley posed little risk.

A DfE spokeswoman said cases were regularly reviewed, adding “We are examining whether this case was handled correctly.”