October 2026

Teacher sent s*xual messages to pupil and received suspended sentence

A secondary school teacher who sent s*xualised messages to a pupil has avoided immediate prison.

Jamie Duguid, 26, of Whitley Bay, was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence at Grimsby Crown Court on Friday, 30 October.

Police began investigating in 2023 after receiving a report raising concerns that Duguid was abusing his position of trust as a teacher at a secondary school in Hull. The investigation found that Duguid had added the pupil on social media and sent them a number of s*xualised messages.

He also bought gifts online, including underwear and jewellery, which police said he sent to a postal locker for the pupil. The gifts were never collected.

When detectives questioned Duguid about his contact with the pupil, he repeatedly answered “no comment.” Officers traced online purchases through his banking records and emails. In a second interview, detectives asked him about the purchases, his social media contact with the pupil, his attempts to conceal his identity on Snapchat and his search history. Again, he answered “no comment” to every question.

Duguid pleaded guilty to engaging in s*xual communication with a child in November last year. He also faced a separate charge of s*xual assault, which he denied. Following a five-day trial, a jury found him not guilty of that charge.

As well as his suspended sentence, Duguid must complete 250 hours of unpaid work. He will remain on the s*x offenders register for 10 years and is subject to a S*xual Harm Prevention Order for five years.