A GWENT teacher accused of making sexual remarks to pupils and kissing a 14-yearold student told a conduct hearing he is “hurt” at having to answer false allegations.

Appearing before a General Teaching Council for Wales professional conduct committee in Cardiff, the teacher denied sending a number of emails in March 2008 to a pupil he was alleged to have had an inappropriate relationship with three years earlier.

He admitted sending her two e-mails, which he said had been a mistake, but denied sending a further four in which she was asked to guess who the sender was, one of which read: “There’s only one of you. You had a snog off me.”

The committee heard from a former friend of the teacher, who said he had sent the four e-mails having been given permission to use the teacher’s laptop while he stayed with him after his relationship broke down. The friend said the teacher took him in and was like a brother to him. The friend had been drinking a lot, and only later realised that pursuing the teacher’s initial contacts with the expupil had been “stupid.”

Proceeding.