Julie Morris, a former teacher at St George’s Central Primary School in Tyldesley, near Wigan, was convicted for carrying out acts of “grave sexual depravity” with her boyfriend David Morris on a child under 13, who did not attend the school. Julie was the safeguarding lead at the school when these acts occurred. Around 175,000 pages of chat logs analyzed by Merseyside Police revealed the sick conversations the couple had about their fantasies and sexually abusing children. The abuse was uncovered in September 2021 when police followed phone messages shared by David Morris and raided their home.
The court heard that between 2018 and 2021, David Morris would record the abuse on his phone, showing Julie giggling during the vile acts. Julie Morris was jailed for 13 years and four months for admitting to 18 sexual offences, including two counts of rape, and David Morris was jailed for 16 years for admitting to 34 offences, including seven counts of rape. Although none of the criminal charges were linked to Morris’ employment, she was sacked from her role at the school, and a panel found her actions to be fundamentally incompatible with being a teacher with a duty of care towards children.
After the conviction, Julie Morris was banned from teaching indefinitely by a decision maker acting on behalf of the Secretary of State on February 27. She is not allowed to teach in any school, sixth form college, youth accommodation, or children’s home, and she is not entitled to apply for restoration of her eligibility to teach. The panel found her actions to be at the most serious end of the sexual offending spectrum and had the potential to cause lasting harm to the victim. Julie Morris had engaged with the Teaching Regulation Agency, expressing regret for her actions, but the panel emphasized the deliberate and sustained nature of her offending.
The couple met on Plenty of Fish in 2016, and their relationship quickly became “intensely sexual,” leading to the conversations and acts of abuse against the young girl. Police, together with the local education authority Wigan Council, took immediate action following the arrests and conviction. The panel highlighted the shock over the fact that Julie Morris, as the safeguarding lead at the school, was involved in abusing a child, emphasizing the breach of trust and duty towards children in her care. The case was described as demonstrating the depths of human depravity, and the lengthy prison sentences reflect the severity of the crimes committed by the couple.
The court records revealed the disturbing details of the abuse carried out by Julie Morris and David Morris against the young girl over a period of three years. The use of technology to record the abuse further demonstrated the premeditated and calculated nature of their actions. The decision to ban Julie Morris from teaching indefinitely sends a strong message about the consequences for individuals who breach the trust placed in them as educators and fail to uphold the duty of care towards children. The panel’s findings underscore the importance of safeguarding measures and the need for vigilance in protecting vulnerable individuals from such heinous acts.
