Science teacher, 43, jailed after relationship with pupil, 16

A former science teacher has been jailed for engaging in a sexual relationship with a pupil.

Robert Hanna, 43, of Southwark, appeared at Inner London Crown Court today, where he was sentenced to three years for six counts of sexual activity with a child.

Detective Constable Erica Slater said: “This was a complex case where Hanna denied everything from the beginning and lied continuously throughout the case. However, the victim courageously remained steadfast in her evidence and following a thorough investigation his accounts were disproved.

“Today’s sentence highlights the severity of this case and I would encourage anyone who is a victim of or victim to sexual abuse in any context to contact police. We have specially trained officers to investigate as well as ensuring there is ongoing support provided to the victims.

Mr Hanna has been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), preventing him from having any unsupervised contact with people under 18. He will also remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He was a teacher at a school in Southwark from 2015 until May 2019.

Mr Hanna entered a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old pupil and helped her achieve good grades in physics.

Mr Hanna asked a group of pupils to meet up with him during a school prom. Hanna then purchased alcohol and met with a few of the girls.

A sexual relationship began between Mr Hanna and the victim, over a four-month period. The victim told him that she wanted the relationship to end but he persuaded her to meet with him one more time, he then broke up with her.

On Monday, 1 April 2019 the victim found the courage to inform a teacher of what had been happening and the school immediately suspended him.