When his partner discovered more than 800 emails including photos of naked teenagers on the shared computer, a teacher was found having an affair with a pupil aged 18.
Ross Spittal was a former teacher at Inveralmond High School, West Lothian. He had sex at his house with the teenager on at least two occasions. A tribunal heard.
A 31-year-old mathematics teacher in Bishopton (Renfrewshire) began a relationship with the student, who was 18 at the time. In 2019, a panel of experts heard.
The affair was discovered when his then girlfriend, Kim Smyth, found more than 800 emails between the pair on the couple’s shared computer.
Ms. Smyth (32) revealed today that she had found messages from the pupil-teacher portal Glow while Spittal was drinking at their house.
The teenager and Spittal planned to meet up on the date she found the emails.
When she called Spittal to confront him about the emails she said she was ‘literally seeing naked photos’ of the pupil as she was speaking to him.
Spittal sent one of its emails saying: “Kim is working, please come over,” Ms Smyth stated.
Ross Spittal is a former teacher of Inveralmond High School, West Lothian. Although he admitted to having a relationship in high school with an 18-year old student, he believes he should still have the right to teach.
Spittal is the brother to Scottish Premier League Ross County soccer player Blair Spittal. However, he said that he still believes he should be permitted to teach.
Referring to Ms Smyth’s former schoolgirl, she said at the hearing that Pupil A was something she knew for many years.
She said that Ross was her favorite student.
‘It was surprising for pupils to have a crush on him, but I didn’t think he would act on it.’
Formerly a self-employed personal trainer, Ms. Smyth stated that she once gave a talk to the students at Inveralmond Community High to discuss being self-employed.
Ross invited her to the school in a group and she spoke of their visit.
When I inquired if there were any other questions, Ms. A raised her hand to say “is that the other lady?”
I thought it was very confident.
‘That must have been a year or so before everything came out.”
Ms. Smyth stated that Spittal was looking for her pupil via Facebook, and she wanted to find nice messages for him.
She said Spittal messaged the teenager using Glow at all times and described the tone of the messages as ‘chat and banter you’d expect with a friend’.
She added: ‘We were friendly with a lot of Ross’s colleagues.
“We used to go out for nights and even went to their weddings. He was loved by his pupils especially Pupil A. It didn’t bother him at all.
Spittal’s affair was discovered when his then girlfriend, Kim Smyth, found more than 800 emails between the pair on the couple’s shared computer
When being cross examined by the panel, Ms Smyth was asked what Spittal’s colleagues would say about Pupil A’s crush on the maths teacher.
She explained that Ross said it was Ms A who was always in the classroom with him, which Ross admitted to but never laughed off.
When asked about what she meant by Spittal ‘laughing it off’, she said: ‘It was always that she was a little girl.
“It was laughable because it never occurred to me that a line could be crossed.”
Ms Smyth stated that Ross was drinking with me on Saturday, and Ross continued to stare at his smartphone. He was messaging Pupil A through Glow.
“I found it extremely strange behavior.
“The day that I found the email on our laptop was the day I discovered a message at the bottom of it. She was sending him an email.
“When I started the conversation, it was already happening immediately. They were also planning to meet up.
“On 22/05/2019, I had a discussion about emails between Pupil A and him. I also found 800 emails between them that date back to early 2019”
I could see naked images of Pupil A as I talked to him on the phone.
“He asked me to not tell the police and the school.
Ms. Smyth said to council that one email she sent was: “Kim’s at work. Come over.”
On not phoning the police, she said: ‘It’s something I regret now.
“I was shocked and heartbroken.
“It was his right to tell him what he’d done.”
Spittal, a former teacher of maths at Inveralmond Community School in West Lothian (pictured), is now a freelance writer.
Police Scotland reported the affair to them later. They found that there had been no crime and told the hearing.
The emails revealed that Ms. Smyth was in a five-year relationship with Spittal and had lived together for three years.
Spittal’s legal representative Claire Raftery said her client admits all allegations brought to him by the GTCS.
Following an Easter school session held in April 2019, he confessed to having kissed the sixth-year student.
He said that he was also in sex with the same girl who lived at his house in April 2019.
In May 2019, Spittal told the school’s head teacher, Susanne Young, that there was ‘nothing going on at all’ between himself and the pupil.
He confessed today to being untruthful about their relationship.
Frau Young stated that she didn’t know of the “standing joke” that A Spittal was a fancied by.
Spittal will be subject to the GTCS investigation.
The hearing will continue.