A former British teacher has been barred from the classroom indefinitely after admitting he gave a young student a pen fitted with a hidden camera and instructed her to change clothes before using it.
Matthew Udall, 33, taught in Warwickshire when he carried out the scheme in July 2022, according to a Teaching Regulation Agency report released Friday. The panel found his actions “were sexually motivated and had the potential to cause serious harm to the pupil.”
The girl did not fall for the ploy. She noticed the camera, told a friend, and reported it to another teacher, the panel noted. Udall had also instructed her not to tell her parents about the device.
The panel stated there was “no indication” the student complied with his request to undress. “His intentions were clear from the conviction he received,” the report added.
Udall pleaded guilty in 2024 to inciting or causing a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to observe a person doing a private act. He received a 31-month prison sentence.
The regulatory panel found Udall had tried to cover his tracks. It said it “was not provided with any evidence to demonstrate that Mr. Udall had shown insight and remorse in relation to his conduct,” and noted he “sought to conceal” the scheme through his instruction to the girl about keeping silent.
The case reached the panel after criminal proceedings concluded. Teaching bans in England require educators to demonstrate they are fit to return before any reinstatement, though Udall’s indefinite removal signals little prospect of that in the near term.
The incident unfolded when Udall handed the girl the journal-writing pen without revealing its hidden lens. His specific instruction that she change clothes before beginning her homework pointed to premeditation, regulators concluded.
He has 28 days to appeal the panel’s decision to the courts.