A teacher has been banned from classrooms for life – after he was caught in a £30,000 COCAINE deal.
Michael Younghusband, 31, who taught at Dene Community School, County Durham, caused “immense damage to the profession” by dealing the Class A drug.
Younghusband was convicted last September at Durham Crown Court for possessing cocaine with intent to supply.
The geography and maths teacher was jailed for three years and four months.
The report by the National College for Teaching and Leadership’s professional conduct panel says: “Mr Younghusband has been convicted of an offence of possession of a very significant quantity of cocaine which, according to the judge’s comments in sentencing, comprised 744g with a value of just under £30,000 at street level.
“He pleaded guilty to possessing the drug with intent to supply and was told that, but for his guilty plea, the appropriate term of immediate imprisonment would have been five years.”
Judge Christopher Prince said during sentencing that Younghusband had become addicted to cocaine, was involved in dealing because of pressure in his life, and had expressed remorse.
The panel handed down a permanent ban regardless.
The report, published on July 3, continues: “The concerns that exist now around Mr Younghusband’s suitability to work with young persons will remain indefinitely.
“Put simply, the prevailing view of the Panel is that to have someone with this sort of conviction working with children is simply inappropriate.”
Giving the final decision on behalf of Mr Gove, NCTL official Paul Heathcote said Younghusband had caused “immense damage to the collective reputation of the profession” and that a ban was an “appropriate and proportionate sanction”.
He added: “[The panel] felt that it would be inappropriate for someone with a conviction such as this to be working with children.
“Having considered the facts of this case – a conviction of possession of a significant amount of a class A drug with intent to supply resulting in a custodial sentence of in excess of over three years, I agree with the majority recommendation that Mr Younghusband’s prohibition order should be without provision for an application to have the order set aside.”
The decision means Younghusband, of Kingswood, Penshaw, Sunderland, is banned from teaching in any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation or children’s home in England for the rest of his life.
Keith Brumwell, of Basingstoke Road, Peterlee, was jailed for four years and four months when Younghusband was sentenced after admitting the same charge.
The court heard that Younghusband took the cocaine from Brumwell during a meeting in a car park.
