A MISCONDUCT hearing has begun into the activities of three North-East teachers said to have engaged in sexual activity, or sexually explicit communication with an underage girl.

Daniel Cochrane, Andrew Green and David Lord are accused of unacceptable professional conduct, or conduct that may bring the teaching profession into disrepute.

Mr Cochrane and Mr Green were teaching at Lord Lawson of Beamish Community School, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, and Mr Lord was working at Elemore Hall School, near Pittington, Durham, at the time of the alleged incidents, in 2011.

Both Mr Green and Mr Cochrane are said to have engaged in an “inappropriate relationship” or “inappropriate physical contact” with the girl, who was under the age of 16 at the time.

It is said Mr Green engaged in sexual intercourse with the girl and allowed her to perform oral sex on himself, while Mr Cochrane is alleged to have kissed her, and allowed her to touch and/or perform a sex act on his penis.

All three are alleged to have engaged in “inappropriate communication” with the same girl, sending sexually explicit text messages to her.

Mr Green and Mr Lord are said to have also sent sexually explicit photographs of themselves to the girl, while Mr Cochrane is accused of sending photos of his naked arms and chest to her, in response asking her to send photos of herself in her underwear.

The girl is not said to have been a pupil of either teacher.

All three are subject of what is expected to be a four-day professional conduct hearing, staged by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), overseen by a three-strong panel, in Coventry.

Only Mr Lord of the trio was present at the opening day of the hearing, while the other two were not expected to attend.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said the above information was all that would be made public until a decision was reached and published.