A former Aberdeen teacher has been struck off after contacting a former partner when a non-harassment order had been issued.
Patrick Mckenzie-Smith, who was previously employed by Aberdeen City Council, was accused of multiple incidents involving his former partner between October 2015 and May 2017.
They include him leaving presents outside his former partner’s home, entering her home and sending an “inappropriate” e-mail to her from his work address.
Mr Mckenzie-Smith had been unemployed for more than four years but previously worked as an art teacher for almost three decades, starting his career at Bridge of Don Academy before moving to Botswana.
Teacher’s court conviction
The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) hearing followed his conviction at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for an offence involving the same former partner.
On April 27 2018, the teacher was convicted of repeatedly defacing a piece of art she had created.
This caused his ex-partner “fear and alarm” and was “aggravated by involving abuse of his ex-partner”.
The teacher was admonished in December 2018 and was issued a non-harassment order for a period of three years to prevent him from contacting them.
However, within the next month, the teacher made a friend request to his former partner on Instagram which he claimed to not remember.
The panel has now ruled this meant his fitness to teach was “impaired and he is unfit to teach” for breaching parts of the teaching code of professionalism and conduct.
Removed from teaching register
The panel heard from Mr Mckenzie-Smith, his former partner and three other witnesses during the hearing in January.
He admitted three of the five allegations, including leaving the gifts, entering her home causing “fear or alarm” and his court conviction.
His representative added that he did not believe the email sent was inappropriate and did not recall sending the Instagram request.
Further, Mr Mckenzie-Smith did not accept that his fitness to teach was impaired or that he was unfit to teach.
After hearing all of the evidence, the panel found that four of the allegations had been proven and his conduct had “fallen short of the expected professional standards”.
They viewed his defacing of her artwork as a “personal attack” and added that his stalking conviction “significantly increased” the seriousness of the allegations.
His name has now been removed from the teaching register.