Caught in police sting
A former Liverpool primary school teacher has been permanently banned from the classroom after being convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. Alan Harbottle, 52, who spent 12 years teaching at Mosspits Lane Primary School in Wavertree, was caught during a police sting operation where undercover officers posed as a 14-year-old boy online.
Arrest and suspension
Harbottle, who served as the school’s PSHE lead and ran its drama club, began working at Mosspits in September 2011. In May 2023, he was arrested on suspicion of sexual communication with a child after police intercepted his conversations with what he believed was a teenage boy. He was suspended by the school soon after his arrest and faced a disciplinary hearing in September 2023, which resulted in his dismissal.
Court conviction
On June 1, 2023, Harbottle appeared at Southend on Sea Magistrates Court where he admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child under 16 after grooming. The court heard how Harbottle had initiated explicit conversations, shared sexualised images, and arranged to meet the individual, who he believed was a minor.
Man pretended to be a Deliveroo driver but the contents of his bag landed him in jail
Sentencing and teaching ban
He was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 24 months, and ordered to complete a 30-day sexual offender programme along with 25 days of rehabilitation activity. Harbottle was also given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and barred from working with children. A teacher regulation agency panel ruled his offences were too serious to permit any return to teaching, imposing a lifetime ban. Harbottle will not be allowed to teach in any school, college, youth setting or children’s home in England.
