Teacher struck off for having sex with schoolboy, 15, inside her BMW in castle car park

Former RE teacher Siobhan McLean, 34, met the 15-year-old in South Lanarkshire before she had sex with him at a flat and in a car park - she's now been banned from the profession

A teacher who avoided prison after having sex with a 15-year-old schoolboy in her car has been banned from teaching.

Siobhan McLean, 34, met the boy in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. She later initiated contact with him on social media, leading to an exchange of messages before they had sex in a flat after a night out. They had sex again in her BMW in a car park at Craignethan Castle in September 2022.

McLean, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court, where she admitted engaging in sexual activity and was ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and put under supervision for three years last October. She has now had her registration to teach removed by education watchdog the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), reports the Daily Record.

A 'removal' order has been marked against her registration on the official GTCS website, which means she will be banned from the profession and will not be able to teach again unless she proves she is fit to do so. McLean had been dismissed from her teaching role by South Lanarkshire Council after her inappropriate relationship with the boy came to light.

The shamed former RE teacher was tagged for 12 months and banned from having unsupervised contact with children other than her own. She is on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and her name was added to the list of those unsuitable to work with children. The mum-of-one is also banned from contacting the victim or his family member for five years.

Sheriff Liam Murphy told her: "You pled guilty to a serious offence involving a significant breach of trust. In the criminal justice social work report you were able to recognise the impact of this on the victim and his family. Taking into account all of the circumstances, I'm satisfied that there is an appropriate way to deal with you by way of an alternative to a custodial sentence but this should not detract from the gravity of your conduct."

A hearing in January was told social workers overseeing her case gave her a positive report and said no further court dates would be needed unless she breaches any aspect of the order.