Former Lincoln University Technical College teacher Nemiya Rookwood banned from the profession after sending pictures of his erect penis to young women on Snapchat

A teacher has been banned from the profession after he used Snapchat to send pictures of his erect penis to a group of young women.

Nemiya Rookwood, a former teacher at Lincoln University Technical College, has been suspended from teaching following a panel hearing which saw him face a number of sexual allegations.

During the professional conduct hearing, held by the Teaching Regulation Agency, it was found that between August 31, 2016 and May 9, 2018, the 33-year-old used the social media platform to send unsolicited naked images of himself to the women, in which his penis was visible and erect.

It was heard that Mr Rookwood met the group at a hotel in Leeds and that, after the incident, he approached a member of staff at Lincoln UTC with concerns that one of the group was going to contact the school.

The panel decided that Rookwood’s actions were sexually motivated given that the images showed the former teacher in a state of arousal and, in the absence of any justification for sending the picture, it was impossible to reach any other conclusion.

In addition to this, the panel agreed that Rookwood failed to observe a proper boundary appropriate to a teacher’s professional position and failed to have proper and professional regard for the ethos, policies and practices of the School.

When asked if he believed his actions could negatively impact the school, Mr Rookwood initially said it would “massively”.

However, he later added that since the incident took place in his own time and the images disappeared after viewing, it would not be so damaging.

The panel said: “Mr Rookwood did not demonstrate any remorse for his conduct, nor any insight as to the impact sending the image would have had on those who received it, despite the sexually implicit image not having been solicited, and their only relationship being a business one.

“Mr Rookwood’s representations focussed on the financial impact of attending the hearings, rather than providing any assurance as to the way he would behave in the future if he was to teach again.”

Rookwood was handed a prohibition order banning him from teaching for eight years.

He will be able to apply for it to be removed in December 2032.