Lifetime ban for B.C. teacher who ‘allowed his device and email address to be used to access child pornography’: regulator

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A B.C. teacher who was investigated for but never charged with child pornography offences has been banned from the profession for life, according to the provincial regulator.

Devon Roy Gray was working as an elementary school teacher in the Peace River District in 2021 when he was arrested at his workplace, according to a consent agreement with the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, which details the circumstances leading up to police attending the school.

“In December 2020, sexual images (the ‘initial images’) of elementary school-aged children were uploaded to a Tumblr account associated with the email address “[e-mail],” the document posted online Tuesday said.

“The account and the email address were linked to an Internet Protocol address that was located at the residence where Gray lived. The account for the email address was activated in 2013 and Gray was the authorized user.”

In February of 2021, police searched Gray’s home and seized electronic devices, according to the agreement.

“One of these devices (the ‘device’) contained over 500 photos and videos of children, believed to be between the ages of three and 13,” the document said, adding that the RCMP determined some of the images were “consistent with the definition of child pornography.”

The device, the agreement said, belonged to Gray and had files on it including his resume and emails.

Crown counsel did not approve criminal charges, the agreement said.

The teacher was placed on leave the day he was arrested. An investigation was ordered, and Gray agreed not to work in the K-12 system while the probe was underway.

Three years later, Gray’s certificate was suspended because he did not pay the associated fees. Two months after that, the Criminal Records Review Program informed the commissioner Gray had not provided fingerprints as required, the agreement said.

Gray entered into the consent agreement in July of this year, admitting to “conduct unbecoming” the profession and agreeing never again to apply for a teaching certificate.

“Gray allowed his device and email address to be used to access child pornography. Child pornography directly and indirectly harms children. His conduct undermines the public confidence in the profession,” the agreement said, explaining why a lifetime ban was an appropriate consequence.