An investigation has revealed that former Bristol physics teacher Eleanor Wilson had sex with a 16-year-old male student in an airplane bathroom during a school trip to Africa for charity. During the two-week trip, the two reportedly drank cheap whiskey and engaged in both oral sex and intercourse.
The student, then 16, and Wilson, then 26, were traveling together with a group of high school students in the summer of 2015 for reasons of charity, staying at a “Neighbourhood Care Point, which supported orphans of parents who had died of HIV, helping to build a kitchen for them,” as noted by The Daily Mail.
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But there was more than just charity on the mind of Wilson.
The former teacher ended up in the student’s room, kissed him “multiple times,” and then had unprotected sex in an airplane bathroom on the trip home after sucking back some mini bottles of wine.
A friend of the student said of the 16-year-old: “He enjoyed telling me all about his time in Swaziland as you could go to a store and buy whisky for next to nothing. He said they had sex a lot on the trip to Africa and on the flight back.”
“He was pleased with himself that he was sleeping with the teacher that everyone fancied,” added the friend, “but he is confident and was already quite experienced with girls.”
Wilson, according to the friend, would sext and text message the boy frequently.
“She would send him texts and he showed me the messages from her,” claimed the friend. “He would text her and she would reply, ‘Can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting’ or ‘I’m nervous about a presentation for assembly’. She would sext him too and he showed me. I knew immediately they were genuine.”
Rumors began to fly after the charity trip and school officials looked into a possible inappropriate relationship between Wilson and the 16-year-old in September of 2015, but no evidence was found to refute their denials.
Then, in March of 2016, the sexual misconduct surfaced after another male student allegedly tried to blackmail Wilson with evidence of their relationship for sex from the teacher. “The threats were reported to the school and police and a thorough investigation was conducted. Miss Wilson, who had a boyfriend at the time, was sacked in May 2016,” reports The Daily Mail.
After a hearing was conducted, Wilson was found guilty of all allegations against her, save two.
“There was evidence that the teacher’s actions were deliberate and continued for a significant length of time despite her understanding that her behaviour was inappropriate,” said Polly O’Malley, chairman of the professional conduct panel.
“There was no evidence to suggest that the teacher was acting under duress,” she said.
“These behaviours include serious dishonesty and serious sexual misconduct. The panel has found that Miss Wilson engaged in sexual activity with Pupil A on one occasion, including oral sex and sexual intercourse,” continued O’Malley.
“Additionally the panel has found that Miss Wilson encouraged Pupil A to hide their relationship and lied about it herself when an investigation into the allegations was undertaken by the school,” she added.
Since Wilson was cut-off from her position, the boy’s father has come forward to give his son’s take, which includes regret that his teacher was fired.
“What I will say is he [the boy] didn’t want any of this,” he said.
“He didn’t want her to lose her job over it. The relationship was only uncovered when another pupil found out about it and blackmailed her for sex,” explained the father.
“He then told the school and from there it was the school who pursued the investigation, not my son,” he added. “He didn’t want her to lose her career. He’s a young man who just wants to put this behind him and move on.”
A spokesman for the unidentified school in Bristol came forward to “condemn Ms Wilson’s actions. Her conduct represents a shocking abuse of her position of trust as a teacher,” said the spokesman.
According to The Daily Mail, “Wilson was reported to the police, however it is not known whether officers had taken any action against her.”