News | Mail Online
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Adam Pogrund, Elspeth Rees
Daniel Duhig, a 29-year-old teacher from Hornchurch, Essex, has been banned from teaching for life after sending sexual messages to a teenage girl he met on an 18+ dating app. The messages, sent in December 2023, included Duhig saying he "wanted to join her in bed" and telling the girl she must be "popular with boys". He was previously convicted of trying to engage in sexual communication with a child and received a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months. The teaching panel found that Duhig's likelihood of committing similar offenses is "high" due to his lack of insight into the impact of his actions on the child and public confidence in the profession.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Daniel Duhig, a 29-year-old teacher from Hornchurch, Essex, has been banned from the classroom for life after sending explicit messages to a Year Two schoolgirl on an 18+ dating app. The girl was under 16 years old and did not attend Godwin Primary School, where Duhig worked, but he messaged her anyway after meeting online. In one message, Duhig told the girl he "wanted to join her in bed" and asked if she was a virgin before commenting on her attractiveness to boys. Duhig claimed he didn't know the victim's age when he sent the messages, but a court found him guilty of trying to engage in sexual communication with a child. He pleaded guilty at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in May 2024 and was sacked from his job at Godwin Primary School, where he worked from September 2023 to January 2024.
Written for “Teacher Sex Abuse Scandal” on 2026-09-07,
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No political leaning scored for article 5882 · logged 2026-09-06
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A Year Two teacher has been banned from the profession after telling a schoolgirl he 'wanted to join her in bed'.
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he → see → bed
Daniel Duhig, 29, from Hornchurch, Essex, also asked the girl if she was a virgin before telling her he 'thinks she would be good' and must be 'popular with boys'.
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she → ask → boys
The former primary school teacher began messaging the child, who was under 16 and did not attend his school, after meeting on an 18+ dating app.
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who → begin → app
He was arrested in January 2024 and convicted of trying to engage in sexual communication with a child after pleading guilty at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in May last year.
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He → arrest → May
He claimed he was unaware the victim was a child.
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victim → claim → ?
Duhig, who studied primary education at the University of East London, worked at Godwin Primary School in Dagenham from September 2023 until he was arrested in January 2024.
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he → study → January
He sent the girl the sexual messages on December 28, 2023, and was placed on garden leave after his arrest.
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He → send → arrest
He was sacked in May and later asked the school for 'another chance to continue with his career'.
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He → sack → career
Daniel Duhig from Hornchurch, Essex, has been banned from teaching for life after telling a teenage girl he wanted to join her in bed – and told her she 'must be popular with boys'
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she → ban → boys
The teacher was handed a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to undertake a rehabilitation course and 100 hours of unpaid work.
He also had to pay the victim £154, prosecution fees of £85 and was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.
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He → hand → years
At a tribunal, Duhig, who previously worked as a Learning Support Assistant for the London Borough of Redbridge, was barred from teaching for life.
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who → work → life
The teaching panel found that the likelihood of him committing similar offences in the future is 'high'.
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him → find → future
It said there was no material evidence that he had demonstrated insight into the 'wider impact of the offending on the child'.
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he → say → child
Concerns about his behaviour had previously been raised over his failure to maintain professional boundaries with pupils and he was placed on a support plan as a result.
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he → raise → result
Duhig told a disciplinary hearing he was 'sincerely sorry' for messaging the child.
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he → tell → child
He said he 'deeply regretted his actions' and 'accepted the seriousness of his mistake'.
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he → say → mistake
He also claimed 'he would have blocked her straight away' had he known the girl was underage, and asked for the school to give him another chance.
But the teaching panel found that 'whilst there was some evidence of remorse and acceptance of responsibility, there was little evidence before the panel demonstrating insight into the wider impact of the offending on the child and also on public confidence in the profession or the reputation of teachers'.
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panel → claim → teachers
The former primary school teacher was arrested in January 2024 and convicted of trying to engage in sexual communication with a child after pleading guilty
It added: 'There was no evidence before the panel that Mr Duhig demonstrated exceptionally high standards in his personal and professional conduct or had contributed significantly to the education sector.
'
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Duhig → arrest → sector
The panel had no evidence before it to demonstrate that the incident was out of character.'
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incident → have → character
It added: 'There was no material evidence of insight, remorse, or meaningful consideration of the impact of his offending.
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The panel concluded, on the available evidence, that the risk of Mr Duhig committing similar offences in the future is high, which is clearly of substantial concern.'
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which → conclude → concern
