A teacher who had sex with a “vulnerable” ex-pupil in his car and offered her a “swig” of morphine has been banned from the classroom for life.
David Blight was dismissed from Prudhoe Community High School in January 2022 after forming a sexual relationship with a past student, known as Former Pupil A.
The married man, who was described as an “excellent head of year”, had sex with the woman in his car in a lay-by and in a woodland - and also offered her morphine three times.
The 59-year-old first started as a physics teacher at the Northumberland school in 1999 before going on to become the assistant head and head of sixth form.
He taught the woman for two years, and the pair reconnected over social media five years later, where he requested naked photos and videos of a sexual nature from her.
The alarm was raised after Former Pupil A’s mother reported it to a GP - and this was then reported to a local authority designated officer, who manages allegations against adults who work with children.
It was only then that the school was made aware of the consensual relationship between the two adults.
He’s now been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct and has been banned from teaching indefinitely, and won't be able to apply to lift the ban for at least two years.
Mr Blight would ‘drive past Former Pupil A jogging’ while she was at university
A report by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) said the sexual relationship took place over a nine month period, and was inappropriate as Mr Blight “ought to have been aware” that the woman was vulnerable.
Former Pupil A said Mr Blight added her on Twitter, now X, but could not remember who messaged first.
She also recalled how, during her third year of university, Mr Blight would “drive past her jogging on a running track” and asked her to get into his car on more than one occasion.
She claimed Mr Blight placed his hand on her thigh and made references to her fancying “older men”, and felt he was “testing the waters”.
But Mr Blight denied this version of events, saying he joined social media as he was bored, and that the message exchanges were initiated by Former Pupil A.
He said Former Pupil A had sent a photograph of her outfit before a night out for his opinion and, at this point, an unsolicited topless photograph was shared.
Despite it having been a considerable amount of time since Former Pupil A was at school, the panel said the relationship was exploitative as holding knowledge of her vulnerabilities “would allow Mr Blight to use that to his advantage”.
Sex in woodland and morphine ‘swig’ bid
Mr Blight also had sex with Former Pupil A in public places, namely a lay-by in Mr Blight’s car and a woodland area.
He did not dispute this but he argued the area was privately owned.
He then requested topless and/or naked photos from Former Pupil A and asked her to send videos and photographs of herself of a sexual nature.
The panel heard how he also offered Former Pupil A morphine - something she claimed happened on three occasions.
She said it was kept in a brown bottle in the cupholder of his car, and recalled a moment Mr Blight asked her if she wanted “a swig” in a “jokey way”, which she declined.
Mr Blight argued she could have looked up what the bottle looked like online before describing it to the panel, and said he did not carry it on his person.
The panel found the allegations proven due to the woman's “credible and detailed” evidence.
‘Error of judgement’
Mr Blight admitted that he failed to tell his school that he was in a sexual relationship with her when he knew she later applied for work experience.
The report said he “undermined the trust the school placed in him” - and he accepted it was an “error of judgment” to not inform the head of his relationship.
That said, message exchanges showed Former Pupil A told Mr Blight she was going to cancel the work experience.
As he had a “genuine and reasonable belief” this was not going ahead, the panel found he was not dishonest in not disclosing the relationship to the school.
The panel also said the nature of the relationship was not inappropriate solely due to the woman being a former pupil of Mr Blight, as there was no significant contact between the pair from when she left school to their communication on Twitter.
Concluding, the panel said the misconduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession” but accepted it was “out of character”.
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Mr Blight was described as “an excellent head of year” who “worked tirelessly to support all students in his care to achieve success”.
The panel said he regretted his behaviour and was remorseful on the impact to his family and his career - but said he seemed to show a “lack of insight” into the impact Former Pupil A’s vulnerabilities had on her.
Mr Blight was banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
He may apply for the order to be set aside from April 16, 2027.
The Northern Echo has contacted the school for comment, but it has not yet responded.
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