A MORAY TEACHER who had been suspended from duty for two years has been found guilty of urging a pupil to send explicit pictures of herself.
Elgin Academy PE teacher Jonathan Wylie was convicted by jury at Elgin Sherriff Court on Thursday on three charges involving the same teenage pupil.
Wylie, 33, was arrested in 2013 after he sent a number of messages on Facebook to the girl between September and November that year. The jury found him guilty of engaging in sexual activity with, or directed towards, a teenage pupil.
He was also found guilty of intentionally sending written sexual communications to the same pupil and of asking her to supply explicit photographs, and of a third charge that he took or permitted the taking of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.
The court had heard that police had investigated Wylie’s internet activities and that revealed searches for young girls.
Advocate Bill Adam asked Sherriff Olga Pasportnikov to spare his client a jail sentence, reminding the court that his client was a first offender and had previously been of good behaviour.
He added: “He is a married man and a family man with two young children. A custodial sentence must be a consideration but given his previous good character and background circumstances it is not the only consideration of the court.”
Wylie, who had worked at Elgin Academy for three years and was made the school’s acting principal teacher of PE in March 2013, has been placed on the sex offenders register and allowed bail pending his sentencing on December 3.