Luke Berry: Joyce Frankland Academy physics teacher who was jailed for sexual offences with girls now barred from profession indefinitely
A teacher from Bishop’s Stortford who was jailed for sexual activity with a girl and sexually grooming another by sending her an “inappropriate” photo of himself has been barred from teaching indefinitely.
Luke Berry, of Riverside, was sentenced to 17 months in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court on February 29 last year. He was 35 at the time.
He joined Joyce Frankland Academy in Newport as a physics teacher in September 2017. In 2021, an investigation was launched after Essex Police received a report of a man engaging in sexual communication with a child.
Berry was arrested in October that year. Following further enquiries, he was arrested in January 2022 on suspicion of sexual activity with a girl aged 13-17.
During the investigation, officers from the force’s child abuse investigation team reviewed dozens of messages between Berry and two victims, both under 18.
He was charged with sexual communication with a child and sexual activity with a girl. Berry pleaded guilty to both counts at Colchester Magistrates’ Court at the start of February last year.
As well as the prison sentence, he was placed on the child sex offender register and issued with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.
Last Thursday (March 27), a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) convened online and in private to determine whether an order prohibiting him from teaching should be imposed.
The TRA had agreed to a request from Berry that his case be considered without a hearing. He provided a signed statement of agreed facts and admitted conviction of a “relevant offence”. The panel considered the case with neither Berry nor any representative on his behalf present.
A report published after the meeting said: “The panel was seriously concerned by the fact that Mr Berry was unable to recognise that he was sexually attracted to children and that he therefore posed an ongoing risk to children.”
The panel said that his actions had been “fundamentally incompatible with his being a teacher” and therefore recommended to the Secretary of State for Education that he should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period.
On behalf of the Secretary of State, Sarah Buxcey, at the Department for Education, agreed to the panel’s recommendation, which means that Berry is prohibited from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Furthermore, he is not entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.
Berry has a right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days from the date he is given notice of the order.
In an email to parents in the aftermath of Berry’s court case last year, Duncan Roberts, the principal of Joyce Frankland Academy, said: “We are deeply disappointed and disgusted by his actions.
“Prior to joining Joyce Frankland Academy, all teachers are subject to strict and stringent background and safeguarding checks to ensure there are no concerns on their record. No concerns had previously been recorded.
“However, as soon as concerns were brought to our attention, Mr Berry was immediately suspended in line with our safeguarding procedures. The concerns were also reported to the local authority’s safeguarding team and Essex Police. We worked closely with both the local authority and police while they completed investigations, and Mr Berry was subsequently dismissed for gross misconduct.”
