Jon Gordon, an Essex music instructor, who impersonated a teenage boy and girl online to solicit sexual conduct from minors, has been permanently prohibited from entering any classroom. Jon Gordon, 46, expressed his “sincere apologies” for the harm he inflicted upon his school and the teaching profession.
Jon Gordon, formerly of Witham, served as a music instructor at the Anglo European School in Ingatestone. On April 13, 2022, he received an eight-year prison sentence after being charged with 45 charges related to child sexual abuse, including sexual communication with a minor. Gordon was apprehended in December 2018 after authorities discovered he had engaged in sexual communication with a 13-year-old.
Law enforcement executed a warrant at his residence and confiscated 33 objects that contained over 1,200 indecent photographs and videos of child exploitation. Authorities discovered 6,500 Skype communications, which included 900 connections of adolescents.
UTTERLY MENTAL MISCONDUCT PANEL DISCUSSES IF CONVICTED PAEDOPHILE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO TEACH AGAIN
Now, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) misconduct panel has found Jon Gordon’s crimes to be so serious he can never return to teaching. In the report from the hearing, decision maker Sarah Buxcey said: “From the transcript of the sentencing hearing, it is apparent that Mr Jon Gordon engaged in online sexual conversations with teenage children, and either the children sent videos or pictures of themselves, or Mr Gordon recorded them without their knowledge.
“This included one offence of inciting a penetrative sexual act with a child who stated he was 13, and also spelled out that he had mental health problems. Two aliases were used by Mr Jon Gordon, one of a teenage boy, and one of a teenage girl. Mr Jon Gordon used those aliases depending on the sex of the child he was speaking to, sousing a male alias if he was speaking with a girl, and a female alias if he was speaking with a boy.
“He befriended them on children’s websites, and then asked them to move to Skype. Of the latter offences, there was one instance where Mr Jon Gordon suggested a child travel to meet him. In total there were over 6500 chat logs found on Mr Jon Gordon’s devices, of which the police determined there were 63 UK based victims and many more international victims, albeit the indictment referred only to the UK victims, alongside the child abuse imagery.”
In total, there were 45 counts Jon Gordon admitted, including inciting children to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images of children and taking indecent photos of children. In a letter sent to the TRA, Jon Gordon said he would not contest the “inevitable” decision to ban him from the teaching profession, adding: “I sincerely apologise to everyone affected by my actions and deeply regret the impact they have had.”
Mrs Buxcey chose to ban Jon Gordon from teaching for life, with no chance of him being able to appeal. She added: “This means that Mr Jon Gordon is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Gordon shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.”
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