A teacher who gave pupil a pen containing a hidden video camera and tried to persuade them to change in front of it has been banned from the profession indefinitely. Matthew Udall, 33, was employed as a science teacher at a secondary school in Warwickshire when he tried to secretly film a pupil in their home using the covert camera. Udall had been working at the school for less than two years when, in June 2022, he gave the pupil a pen “to take home and use to write in a journal”, said a a ruling by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). He reportedly “encouraged them to change their clothes before writing in the journal”. He had not told the pupil the pen contained a secret video camera that was recording at the time. At home, the pupil “noticed that there was a camera lens on the pen and told a friend”. They also told another teacher, who reported it to the school’s head. The school notified the local authority designated officer (LADO) and Udall was arrested the following day. He was bailed while police investigated, and suspended by the school before being dismissed a short while later. In July 2024, he was convicted of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to observe a person doing a private act. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 31 months in prison. The TRA panel, which held its hearing in Udall’s absence, said he “used his position of a teacher…to try and persuade [the pupil] to get undressed in private, in view of the pen”. Ploy ‘had been planned’ They noted sentencing remarks made by the the judge, “which explained that Mr Udall had planned this event”. The video camera was switched on and recording at the time Udall handed the pen over to the pupil. His words were reportedly: “Get changed completely. Get changed. Try and refresh your brain. Sit down. Shut your room. Say to your mum, ‘look I just want to answer these questions on my own. Please don’t disturb me for 10 minutes’. “When you’re done, pop these in your bag so they’re out the way and then bring them back to me tomorrow and we’ll discuss them.” The TRA panel noted Udall had tried to conceal what he had asked the pupil to do, by telling them to exclude their mother. “By any observation, this was a serious offence and one which resulted in Mr Udall’s imprisonment.” No evidence of remorse The panel did not receive evidence of any mitigating circumstances, or “any evidence” Udall had shown insight and remorse. In correspondence prior to the hearing he reportedly “expressed his desire to move on with his life” but “did not detail the extent of his awareness, if any, of the harm he had caused to [the pupil]”. “The panel was therefore unable to say with any degree of certainty that there was a low risk of Mr Udall repeating his actions”. The panel recommended Udall should be banned from teaching indefinitely “with immediate effect”, with no option for a review period. This decision was upheld by the education secretary. Making this decision on behalf of the education secretary, David Oatley said: “In my judgement, the lack of evidence of insight and remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils.”