Teacher struck off after admitting grooming and indecently assaulting 14-year-old girl

The 27-year-old Canterbury man came before the Teacher's Disciplinary Tribunal in March this year as a result of the conviction. File photo

A primary school teacher has been struck off after he admitted grooming and indecently assaulting a 14-year-old school girl.

Mark Robert Ashby pleaded guilty to the offences which involved sending the girl thousands of texts and sexually explicit Snapchat videos in September last year and was sentenced to 10 months home detention.

The 27-year-old Canterbury man came before the Teacher's Disciplinary Tribunal in March this year as a result of the conviction. In the decision released today, it ruled that Ashby's registration should be censured.

Ashby had already made an undertaking last April not to teach and did not object to being struck off.

In the findings, tribunal chairman Kenneth Johnston said censorship and cancelling his registration appeared to be the "proper and inevitable outcome".

At the time of sentencing, the victim's father described Ashby as a "monster" and "scumbag predator" and said he should not be allowed near children.

Ashby communicated with the teenage victim through Facebook in December 2014 and sent her more than 3500 text messages, some of which were of a sexual nature. In April 2015 he also picked up the girl in his car and drove a short distance away before putting his hand inside her top.