Teacher found guilty of professional misconduct over Islam remarks and cocaine comment

A Teaching Regulation Agency disciplinary panel has found Patrick Lawler guilty of professional misconduct after hearing that the former teacher described Islam as “satanic” and told pupils that “cocaine was purer back in the day.” The panel said the conduct could bring the teaching profession into disrepute and will now consider whether to recommend to the education secretary that he be banned from teaching.

Lawler taught in Northumberland and later in Bristol and was previously employed by Bede Academy in Northumberland. The panel heard that he authored or co-authored online newsletters that attacked Islam as demonic and satanically inspired, and that his posts described same-sex relationships in highly negative terms. It also heard that he took part in the BBC Wales Investigates documentary Unmasked: Extreme Far Right, which followed an undercover reporter embedded with the Patriotic Alternative group in Wales and England. The panel noted that the investigative material formed part of the evidence leading to the current finding of misconduct. In the BBC investigation, Lawler discussed his views with the undercover reporter, telling him that a race war was “absolutely inevitable.” He also told the reporter that all foreigners had no right to be in the UK and that if they refused to leave, “the only way to get rid of them will be to kill every single one of them.” After the programme aired, Lawler defended himself by accusing the BBC of anti-white bias and stating that it persecuted British people who care about their indigenous population.

The panel’s findings show that Lawler authored or co-authored newsletters in which Islam was described as demonic and “satanically inspired,” and that some posts asserted that sex between two men was an “unnatural, unhealthy, disgusting perversion.” The panel emphasized that while individuals may hold strongly held beliefs, the newsletters crossed from opinion into attacks on groups or positions, undermining the balance expected in educational settings. The panel said such material could undermine pupils’ ability to engage critically with minority views and therefore constitutes unacceptable professional conduct.

The evidence also highlighted a pattern of conduct dating back to his time at Bede Academy. In 2019, during a class on medieval history, Lawler shifted the discussion to United States civil rights activists, telling a visiting group of year six pupils that Rosa Parks “did not exist” and that Martin Luther King Jr. was guilty of plagiarism. The panel described those remarks as inappropriate and unprofessional for pupils at that age, who cannot challenge biased or unbalanced presentations effectively. In a 2020 discussion about the Black Lives Matter movement, Lawler was recorded telling pupils that “BLM” stood for “burn, loot, murder.” The panel noted that the remarks were not simply opinions but part of a broader pattern of presenting controversial views in a way that could mislead young learners.

In December 2020, Lawler is said to have told pupils that “back in the day cocaine was purer,” a comment that a pupil described as arising spontaneously during a discussion not tied to the lesson. The panel also heard that Lawler told students they would be “hanging from lampposts” for poor mock exam results, a remark described as inappropriate and alarming in a classroom setting. The panel noted that he had received warnings from his employer at the time: Bede Academy issued a warning letter in July 2019 following advice given in April 2019, and disciplinary action followed in December 2020, though Lawler resigned before the conclusion of that investigation. He subsequently worked for a supply-teaching agency in Bristol beginning in September 2022.

The case continued into his subsequent roles, including a 2022 lesson at Bristol Brunel Academy in which the panel was told Lawler stated there was “no scientific proof of Covid-19.” When concerns were raised, the agency that employed him referred him to the Teaching Regulation Agency, and the panel concluded that he had simply shifted to advancing his own controversial views in an unbalanced fashion rather than engaging with them in a constructive, educational manner.

Chairwoman Louisa Munton told the hearing that Lawler’s actions could not be considered trivial or inconsequential and could bring the profession into disrepute. The panel’s findings date from a period that predated and overlapped with the BBC Wales investigation, but the panel affirmed that the weight of the evidence supported the conclusion of professional misconduct. The next step is for the panel to deliberate in private and determine whether to make a formal recommendation to the secretary of state that Lawler be barred from teaching. Until a decision is issued, Lawler remains under scrutiny as the regulatory process continues.

The case underscores ongoing concerns about the balance and suitability of teachers’ public-facing opinions, especially when those views intersect with sensitive topics such as religion, race, and civil rights. BBC coverage of the case, including the undercover reporting that contributed to the record, has highlighted the risks and responsibilities educators face in presenting information to pupils and ensuring classrooms remain safe and inclusive environments for all students.