Lifetime ban for B.C. teacher who printed child pornography using school equipment
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.