A suspended Fife schoolteacher has admitted sexual misconduct with two 17-year-old students.
Lewis Knott kissed and hugged one of his pupils, and had sexual chat during a drink-fuelled video call with another girl.
The 24-year-old was suspended in November 2020 following an internal investigation by Fife Council.
Now Knott has been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Indecent communications
Knott, of Findon Lane, Glenrothes, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court and admitted engaging in sexual activity with or towards his first victim on multiple occasions at locations in Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy.
He admitted kissing and cuddling her, and touching her body over her clothing, whilst he was in a position of trust.
Knott further pleaded guilty to communicating indecently with the second girl.
He was in his first full year teaching after completing his probation when he began abusing his position, the court heard.
Girl ‘freaked out’
The teacher gave his Glow email address – used for teacher-pupil communications – to his first victim, but later asked if he could give her his mobile number.
Fiscal depute Claire Bremner said: “He asked the complainer to text him and they began to text each other.”
Later, the teenager went to a house party with friends, said Ms Bremner.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had consumed alcohol and arranged to meet Knott in his car.
They drove around Glenrothes, before Knott asked her if she could sit in the back seat.
They began kissing but the girl “freaked out” after a few seconds, the court heard.
Stopped attending classes
The pair continued to text but she but didn’t attend his class as she felt worried.
A week later, she went to another party and drank alcohol. Again, he agreed to meet her.
She was picked up by Knott but “couldn’t remember anything” due to her level of intoxication until she arrived at his home.
The pair entered his flat and sat on his bed, again kissing for a few seconds.
After this, the two began to text less frequently.
There were more occasions after this that he offered to pick her up.
At this point, she all but stopped attending his classes.
Hug seen by another teacher
Knott gave the girl a hug in school and on one occasion he kissed her on the lips.
When he tried to hug her after this, the girl would turn her face away, said Ms Bremner.
On one occasion, Knott was seen hugging the girl by another teacher and was told not to do it again.
The court heard that on a few occasions, he’d put his hand on her leg whilst she was wearing tights and squeezed her. This made the girl feel “uncomfortable.”
Knott eventually told the girl to delete their messages.
Second victim
Knott’s second victim was not a pupil of his, but he taught one of her siblings.
He included the teenager in a Glow conversation about work assigned to her sibling and asked her to provide help.
Knott later contacted the girl and asked her to switch to messaging him on his teacher Instagram page.
He told her “how pretty she was,” commented on her figure and told her she “should be more confident.”
Knott told her about his sexual experiences and asked if she’d ever had anal sex.
The girl had told him she was nervous about going to university and he told her he had a Powerpoint presentation that he could show her.
He showed her this on a video call in the evening while having a bottle of wine and then invited the girl to take part in a drinking game.
She pretended the lemonade she was drinking was vodka and during this, the accused referred to sexual experiences he had had and said she was “hot” and that he wanted “to taste her.”
This made the girl feel uncomfortable.
He texted her the next day to say he was “a bit rough” and told her to delete messages.
A parent raised her concerns to the school and the matter was investigated and passed to police.
Emotional immaturity
Knott’s solicitor told the court his “emotional immaturity” meant “in one way, he wasn’t given the correct set of tools.”
“I’m not seeking to minimise his conduct,” he added.
Sheriff James Williamson said he’d expect “avoiding this type of interaction with pupils” would be included in teacher training.
He deferred sentence until April for a social work report and released first offender Knott on bail.
Fife Council response
Sharon McKenzie, Head of HR at Fife Council said: “As a responsible employer Fife Council can’t discuss individual circumstances of current or former staff members.
“However, we take the safety and wellbeing of those in our care extremely seriously, and will always take action against inappropriate or criminal behaviour within our organisation.”
The council confirmed that anyone involved in a crime of this nature would be dealt with under the council’s disciplinary procedures.
