School teacher loses job after allegedly giving pen with a hidden camera to schoolgirl and urging her to change before writing with it

A schoolteacher from Britain has been banned from the classroom after he allegedly gave a female pupil a pen with a small camera attached. The teacher admitted to handing the pen to the girl without her knowing about the camera. He also told her to change clothes before she used the pen to write in her journal.

Former science teacher Matthew Udall, 33, was arrested back in July 2022 after the incident occurred at a school in Warwickshire, England. According to a report from BBC News, Udall pleaded guilty to inciting or causing a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, as well as attempting to observe a person doing a private act in 2024.

A report from the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), which was released on Friday, found that Udall’s actions “were sexually motivated and had the potential to cause serious harm to the pupil.” The panel that was responsible for investigating the case also determined that there was “no indication Mr Udall had succeeded in his attempt, but his intentions were clear from the conviction he received.”

Udall had provided the student with the pen and encouraged her to change clothes before writing with it in an apparent bid to record her undressing. According to the TRA, the student spotted the camera hidden within the pen and subsequently told a friend and another teacher, who then passed the information along to the head teacher of the school.

Matthew Udall faces consequences

The former teacher was later sentenced to 31 months in prison for his inappropriate behavior towards the student. According to the panel, there was no evidence to “demonstrate that Mr Udall had shown insight and remorse in relation to his conduct.” Instead, he “sought to conceal” his actions by telling the student to “exclude their parent.”

Given the severity of the attempted act and the apparent lack of remorse, a prohibition order was recommended and “imposed with immediate effect.” No provision for a review period was given because the panel was “unable to say with any degree of certainty that there was a low risk of Mr Udall repeating his actions.” Essentially, there were concerns that the teacher may re-offend if given the chance.

The prohibition order means that Matthew Udall will not be able to return to teaching even after his prison sentence is completed. David Oatley, who was acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, agreed with the panel’s decision, citing Udall’s “risk of repetition.” However, the former teacher can still appeal the order in the High Court within 28 days if he so chooses.