A 70-year-old music tutor has been banned from teaching indefinitely following an incident where he was caught sending sexual messages to someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Lawrence Levin, who worked with Roundhay Music in Leeds, was found guilty of misconduct by a panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). The panel, who imposed the ban, heard that Levin was actually engaging in an online chat with an undercover police officer posing as a teenage girl.
The incident took place in January 2019, with Levin receiving a criminal conviction subsequently. The TRA revealed that he had received a community service order, with a sexual harm prevention order imposed for five years. Prior to his conviction, Levin had been a self-employed tutor at Roundhay Music, with a spokesperson for the company stating that the offence was online-based and had no connection to his work as a tutor.
In their published conclusion, the TRA showed some compassion to Levin, stating that he had shown “a degree of insight and remorse” in relation to the offence. Levin himself expressed gratitude that no real child had been harmed by him. He was banned from teaching indefinitely by Sarah Buxcey, representing the Secretary of State for Education, who declared that his offence was so serious that he could not now apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
Roundhay Music stated that they ceased working with Levin as soon as they became aware of his offence and that Levin had complied with safeguarding guidelines and had an up-to-date enhanced DBS disclosure at the time
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