Lifetime ban for B.C. teacher who printed child pornography using school equipment

(File Photo)

A B.C. teacher who had child pornography sent to his work email address and used school equipment to print the images has been banned from the profession for life, according to the province's regulatory body.

Details of the case were outlined in a consent resolution agreement between Luke Lawson and the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation that was posted online Tuesday.

An investigation into Lawson was launched in 2020, when he was employed as a counsellor at an independent school. The name of the school is not provided, nor is information about which district it is in.

In September of that year, according to the agreement, police searched Lawson's home, "where they discovered printed images of nude young girls, as well as further digital images on his work computer."

He was arrested that day and released with conditions, including not to be in contact with any minors.

The next day, a search warrant was executed at the school.

"Police determined that pornographic images had been sent to his work account and printed at the school and sent to his work email," the agreement continues. Lawson was suspended that day.

None of the young people in the images were students, the agreement notes, saying the photos came from "nudist and naturalism websites."

In November of 2021, Lawson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. In 2022, he was sentenced to four months in jail followed by 18 months of probation, according to the agreement.

Lawson agreed to the lifetime ban on teaching, which the commissioner determined was an appropriate consequence given the seriousness of the misconduct.

"Lawson failed to act ethically and undermined the credibility of the teaching profession by violating laws that protect children from sexual exploitation," the agreement reads.