Ex-teacher banned from classroom as sickening dark web search term uncovered

A former primary school teacher has been permanently banned from the profession after downloading dark web images of children as young as five. John Field, 66, previously told police he would use internet search engines for "teens" and "jailbait," adding he was interested in sexual images of female children which he had been viewing for around five years. Field worked at Woodgate Primary School in Bartley Green, Birmingham, between 2008 and 2023. He was convicted in October 2024 after admitting three counts of making indecent photographs of children. Police discovered the ex-teacher had downloaded eight Category A images - the most serious category - as well as five Category B images, and 16 Category C images. In January 2025, the 66-year-old was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, and placed on the sex offender register for 10 years, reports Birmingham Live . He has now been banned from teaching indefinitely after his case was reviewed by the Teachers Regulation Agency's professional conduct panel. The panel took into account statements he had made to detectives back in April 2023. One police report said: "[Field] stated he was responsible for downloading indecent images of children from the internet using his laptop. "He stated he would use internet search engines for 'teens' and 'jailbait' and explained he was interested in sexual images of female children aged between approximately 14 and 15. "Field stated he also used other methods to source child sexual abuse material, via peer-to-peer networking and the dark web. "When asked, [Field] stated he had been viewing indecent images of children for approximately five years. "He stated that, whilst he preferred to view images of teenage girls, he had sometimes downloaded images of younger children being sexually abused, but simply deleted the images he was not interested in. "The victims in the identified child sexual abuse material were aged between approximately five to 14 years." The panel also considered a response by Field, dated March 12, 2026, where he claimed he had undergone various courses "to overcome" his "addictions and obsessions". He said had done so "successfully", but the panel noted it had not received any supporting evidence from him confirming that. In the report, dated April 24 of this year, decision maker Stuart Blomfield said Field had "demonstrated a degree of accountability for his actions", having "admitted his offending behaviour at the first available opportunity within the criminal proceedings". "The panel considered Mr Field had shown some limited insight and remorse," wrote Mr Blomfield. "In his response, dated March 12, 2026, he described his behaviour as 'unforgivable' and stated he was taking steps to address it. "However, the panel considered Field's insight remained materially limited, in particular by reason of his failure to acknowledge or engage with the impact of his actions on others, including the children who were the victims of the material he engaged with. "The panel considered Field's offending behaviour to be extremely serious and grave in light of the police report and sentencing remarks, which stated Field had actively sought out indecent photographs of children across various categories over a significant period of time. "The panel considered there to be a number of aggravating factors in relation to Field's conduct: the duration of the offending behaviour, which spanned approximately five years; the severity of the material; the ages of the victims depicted in the material, which included children as young as approximately five-years-old; the use of specific search terms such as 'teens' and 'jailbait'." In his conclusion, Mr Blomfield wrote: "Field is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children's home in England. "Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegation found proved against him, I have decided that Field shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach."