Parents want inquiry on sex crime teacher

Dec 2 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

PARENTS whose children attend a North school which employs a teacher convicted of sending sexually explicit text messages to a 14-year-old boy are calling for an investigation.

Lynn Walls was warned by a judge last week that she might face jail after making contact with the victim, who lives in London, through the interactive computer game World of Warcraft.

She encouraged him to send graphic replies to her messages and described in disturbing detail what she would like to do to him. She is suspended from work.

Yesterday, the mother of a nine-year-old child at Laurel Avenue Primary School in Sherburn Road Estate, Durham, called for an investigation into her time at the school.

The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “The school seem to be of the opinion nothing happened while she was employed by them, but I think there should be a full investigation into her roles as teacher and as a responsible adult taking the children to the swimming baths.

“I don’t want to be named as my child still attends the school and I don’t want to cause any bad feelings.

“I just think other parents who have kids at the school should know. She would take the seven- and eight-year-olds to the swimming baths and go on the bus with them.

“The school has told people they can ensure nothing happened while she was there, but how do they know?”

Last week, Walls, 42, of Rose Street East, Penshaw, Sunderland, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in November last year. She was remanded on bail after sentence was adjourned for a probation report. She was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register. The length of time she must register will be set when she is sentenced.

Judge Guy Whitburn, who described the case as very disturbing, told Walls she would get maximum credit for her guilty plea. But he warned: “A custodial sentence cannot be ruled out.”

World of Warcraft, one of the biggest interactive internet games in the world, has 11 million subscribers. It involves a fictional universe in which players take each other on using their own specially created characters.

Durham County Council director of children and young people’s services David Williams said the court case involved matters unrelated to the teacher’s work at the school where she was employed.

He said: “There has never been any suggestion whatsoever of this teacher being engaged in any sort of impropriety while at the school and so we shall not be rushing into any special investigation.

“However, there will inevitably be a disciplinary inquiry at some point as a result of her appearance in court and that is when the broader aspects of these matters will be looked at.”