Principal sacked over porn at school

By ALAN PERROTT, AINSLEY THOMSON and SCOTT MacLEOD

An Auckland school principal is under police investigation after being sacked for accessing pornography on his work computer.

Michael Wilks, principal of Northcote Intermediate, has been dismissed by the board of trustees after pornographic material was found on his computer during routine maintenance.

Police and the board refuse to specify the nature of the material.

But the Herald understands it included child pornography, which was why police were called.

The Department of Internal Affairs and Takapuna police are investigating.

Mr Wilks, aged 66, has been at Northcote Intermediate for more than a decade.

He is at least the fifth teacher or principal sacked or charged over pornography in the past three years.

This year, High Court Justice Robert Fisher admitted using court computers to view internet sex but kept his job.

Northcote Intermediate board chairman Ian Coombridge said Mr Wilks had accessed a "wide variety" of pornographic material.

"This has come as a great shock to all of us at the school," said Mr Coombridge.

"Our immediate and overriding concern is for the welfare of our children."

The pornography was discovered when Mr Wilks' computer was sent away for routine maintenance. The Herald understands this occurred before or during the last school holidays.

Mr Wilks was fired on July 8 after the school brought in forensic experts to audit the computer.

Teachers told the school's 292 students yesterday and sent letters home to parents.

Students the Herald spoke to said they were told Mr Wilks' activities were discovered when software was upgraded during the holidays.

North Shore CIB head Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Bush said police started investigating Mr Wilks "from a criminal point of view" after hearing from the school board on July 5.

He would not say whether Mr Wilks had been interviewed.

Computer hardware was being examined and a decision whether to lay charges could be made this week.

Police were working with Internal Affairs, which is standard procedure for alleged internet crime.

Mr Coombridge said his school followed computer guidelines set down by the Ministry of Education and had "acted decisively".

All school computers had been independently checked, and he said the misuse was limited to the unit used by Mr Wilks.

The Teachers Council, the body for registered teachers, is investigating whether to remove Mr Wilks from its register.

The Internet Safety Group - made up of Government departments, educators and parents - was stunned by Mr Wilks' actions.

Claire Belfour, a board member of the group and assistant principal of Mt Roskill Grammar School, said: "I'm shocked by the stupidity of it."

One Northcote Intermediate parent was also shocked.

"The kids just love him," the woman said. "He had done really good things for the school. He had an excellent reputation."

She said he was the kind of principal who knew all the pupils' names. Parents found him easy to approach.

Another parent, Fiona Rice, who arrived at the school to pick up her 12-year-old son, said: "That's something he should do in his own time and not in school time. You put trust in teachers. You have to trust them."

When the Herald visited Mr Wilks' home yesterday, his wife said he was not there.

She has refused to comment.