Married headteacher James Richards is accused of indecently exposing himself to colleagues on multiple occasions. The first alleged incident occurred during a school residential trip when Richards, then alone with a teacher identified as Colleague A while inspecting pupils' rooms, pulled out his penis and told her to "inspect this miss" before laughing goofily.
Later, in his office, he allegedly exposed himself again and stated, "I love my wife and children but I just cannot help myself." Colleague A confided in another staff member but initially tried to move past the incident. However, she claims Richards exposed himself a second time in his office during the summer holidays.
Following this, he allegedly made further sexualised comments and continued to "laugh in a goofy way." Over the years, other complaints emerged, including allegations of Richards comparing a colleague's breasts to his wife's, exposing himself again, and showing a photo of his penis to another staff member. Police investigated one complaint in 2015 but took no action against Richards.
In September 2021, an investigation was launched into Richards' behavior after further complaints, leading Colleague A to report his past actions to the chair of governors, regretting her earlier silence due to fear of disbelief or career repercussions. Richards was suspended on September 13, 2021, and dismissed in 2024.
He did not fully engage with the internal investigation, citing health issues, though he was filmed playing golf while on sick leave. All allegations are denied by Richards, who was not present or represented at the professional standards panel hearing.
