A Scottish teacher, Dr Iain David Bryant, is facing serious allegations of an 18-month affair with a student, referred to as Pupil A, that has reportedly rocked the Levenmouth Academy in Leven, Fife. The allegations are said to include the use of burner phones to arrange secret meet-ups, sneaking off to car parks, and staying at Travelodge to have sex.
Bryant was a chemistry teacher at the school, and the alleged illicit tryst with the student began in October 2017. Pupil A was said to have come to him for help when she was having a tough time in school, and Bryant allegedly kissed her at that time. The kiss then developed into a full-blown sexual relationship after she turned 18.
During the alleged 18-month affair, the two were said to have sneaked off to desolate car parks to engage in oral sex and foreplay. When Pupil A turned 18, the two reportedly met several times a week to engage in sexual activity. They even went to a nearby Travelodge for sex, according to the pupil.
Bryant is facing eight allegations in total and may be removed from the teaching register if found guilty. The allegations include kissing and touching the girl in a school laboratory, giving her a mobile phone so they could communicate and establish a code word they could use as part of their alleged illicit relationship.
During the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) five-day hearing, the panel heard from several witnesses who provided damning evidence of Bryant’s inappropriate behavior. Levenmouth Academy headteacher Ronnie Ross claimed that he discovered hidden notes that had been passed between the pair following Bryant’s suspension in 2019. Mr. Ross also found a series of “trinkets and a soft toy” that were exchanged as gifts between Bryant and the girl.
The hearing also heard from Dean Hendry, Levenmouth’s principal teacher of history and modern studies, who spoke about how two teachers, Steve Davies and Laura Barrowman, had told him about a rumor of a romance between Bryant and Pupil A following a school trip. Mr. Hendry claimed he couldn’t report the allegations because he wasn’t sure which teacher was involved. However, the affair came to light six months later when staff were finally told of the allegations against Bryant.
During Monday’s GTCS hearing, Pupil A gave evidence on how the alleged relationship began. She explained that it started when Bryant was just a teacher that she could talk to when she was having a tough time at school. In November 2017, when she was 17, he made a comment about wanting to kiss her, and they began kissing daily.
She also told the hearing of the extreme measures that Bryant took to keep their relationship a secret from his wife, including buying a burner phone and using a family member’s home for their meetings. After they had kissed for a month, he bought a pay-as-you-go phone to talk over the Christmas break. He would pick her up from school, and they would drive around and chat. He told his wife he had things on when they met, and they would always meet in secret and in the car. They also had keys to a second house where they met.
Pupil A’s testimony was supported by evidence that the pair kissed and touched in a science lab at Levenmouth Academy and met in car parks outside East Fife FC’s Bayview Stadium. The relationship became a full sexual relationship at a Travelodge in Glenrothes, Fife, after Pupil A turned 18.
The GTCS hearing continues, and if Bryant is found guilty, he may be removed from the teaching register. The allegations are serious and have left the Levenmouth Academy community in shock
