A former teacher who exchanged almost 40,000 messages with a pupil during a six-month sexual relationship has been indefinitely banned from the profession. Alexander Webb, 30, exploited his position of trust while working at a school in Stafford, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel found.
Extent of the abuse
The panel heard that Webb's sexual relationship with a pupil lasted approximately six months, during which he exchanged around 39,400 messages with the victim. Additionally, he maintained about 5,000 Snapchat contacts, including pupils from the school. Webb also created a fake Snapchat account pretending to be a teenage boy to engage in sexualised conversations with teenage girls.
Webb began working at the school in September 2018. In May 2021, a referral was made to the multi-agency safeguarding hub over allegations of a sexual relationship with a pupil. He was arrested and interviewed that day, and again in February 2023.
Criminal conviction
In December 2024, Webb admitted six counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of sexual communication with a child, and five counts of making indecent photographs of a child. He was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison at Stafford Crown Court on February 13, 2025. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life, given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and a 10-year restraining order.
The panel noted that Webb expressed remorse during police interviews, stating he felt a 'deep amount of regret and remorse' for how his conduct affected his life and others. In his response to the proceedings, he said he had no intentions or desire to return to teaching. However, the panel concluded that his behaviour fell 'significantly short of the standards expected of a teacher' and fundamentally breached the trust placed in him.
Prohibition order
Webb was not present or represented at the hearing in June 2026. The panel imposed a prohibition order, banning him from teaching indefinitely in any school, sixth-form college, relevant youth accommodation, or children’s home in England. The panel stated that his actions would be regarded as 'wholly unacceptable by members of the public' and could affect public confidence in the teaching profession.
