A West Devon computer science teacher has been banned from the profession for using school IT to view online pornography at work.

Stephen Adcock, 57, who was responsible for internet safety at Okehampton Community College, admitted accessing a live stream of a sex act and using obscene search terms including ‘teen porn’ for sexual gratification during breaks from teaching.

Mr Adcock was head of computer science, ICT and business studies at Okehampton Community College from 2001. He was sacked by the school in 2019 after an investigation into his computer use prompted by the discovery of sexual content in his internet browsing history.

His case was referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), which heard he initially denied some allegations but later made a full confession in an agreed statement considered at a meeting of a professional conduct panel on September 30, 2022.

A report on the outcome of the panel meeting said it found Mr Adcock guilty of inappropriate and/or unprofessional behaviour for viewing or trying to view pornography, adult dating and couple-swapping websites, and sexually indecent video or other material. The panel decided his behaviour was of a sexual nature and sexually motivated.

The panel said his actions were ‘in direct conflict with his duties’ as he was responsible for the electronic safety of pupils and staff at the school. It decided he was guilty of professional misconduct and conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, and recommended a permanent ban from teaching, which was confirmed by the Secretary of State.

The panel found that Mr Adcock’s behaviour breached professional teaching standards to uphold public trust in the profession and maintain high standards of ethics and behaviour. The report from the TRA said: ‘The panel was satisfied that the conduct of Mr Adcock fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. By accessing this material during school hours, and on school equipment, Mr Adcock placed pupils at risk of seeing the material, given the evidence that his office was in a busy science corridor, with a window in the door that gave clear sight to his work station.

‘Mr Adcock had responsibilities to promote electronic safety within the college and he took advantage of the lighter restrictions on his usage, in order to access pornographic material. This was in clear contradiction to the policies and practices of the college, and against his safeguarding responsibilities.’

The TRA said the allegations came to light when two staff members were trialling new software to identify if anyone in the college was using searches that might cause concern. A witness said he was told ‘the software had identified that Mr Adcock had been accessing adult dating, couple swapping, swingers’ sites and other dating sites, and semi nudity was detected.’

The report said Mr Adcock admitted he viewed or tried to view pornographic video and/or pornographic material in his response to the TRA in 2021. He explained this happened when he was alone in a closed office.’