A religious education teacher is believed to be ‘expecting a child’ with a former pupil from the same school he taught at.
Gavin Dunsmuir is being investigated by Scotland’s teaching watchdog accused of ‘forming an inappropriate relationship’ with Megan Reid while she was 17.
The 46-year-old was teaching at Largs Academy in North Ayrshire where Ms Reid, now 20, was attending when the alleged relationship began.
Gavin Dunsmuir, 46, is being investigated by Scotland’s teaching watchdog over allegations that he ‘formed an inappropriate relationship’ with a pupil half his age
He was allegedly dating Megan Reid while she was still at school at Largs Academy in North Ayrshire and aged 17, and she is believed to be pregnant with his child
Mr Dunsmuir was a mentor to Miss Reid at the school from when she started in first year, aged 12, and things developed from there.
Suspicions were raised about their relationship when the pair were spotted in a pub ‘looking like a couple’ by an off-duty teacher.
Gavin’s wife at the time, Shona Dunsmuir, suspected something was going on and raised the alarm when their young daughter asked: ‘Mummy, do you know that daddy has a new girlfriend?’
Ms Dunsmuir revealed Ms Reid was eight months pregnant and the couple were living together.
‘I believe the relationship did go further than Gavin being just a mentor as I was informed by one of his colleagues that they were spending a lot of time together during lunchtimes,’ she said.
‘Gavin denies being in an adult relationship with her at the time but as they are still together and she is eight months pregnant with his child, I find this hard to believe.
Gavin’s ex-wife, Shona Dunsmuir (pictured), suspected something was going on and raised the alarm when their daughter asked: ‘Mummy, do you know that daddy has a new girlfriend?’
The couple pictured together in 2011, four years before he allegedly started a relationship with one of his students
‘Days after we had left the house (for no apparent reason) he went to stay at his mum’s and asked if he could see our daughter.
‘I agreed as I did not suspect anything was going on with anyone at this time until my daughter returned and asked me “mummy, do you know that my daddy has got a new girlfriend?”.
‘My daughter told me that when I drove away after dropping her at her grans to see her dad that the girl had been hiding in the bedroom upstairs and when my daughter walked into the room she shouted ‘surprise’.
Ms Dunsmuir said she called one of her husband’s colleagues that evening and told them what her daughter said, and they confirmed they suspected the pair were in a relationship.
She then contacted the school and spoke to the head teacher as she knew it was a ‘serious matter’, and sent a letter to North Ayrshire Council but got no reply.
‘According to Gavin he was Megan’s mentor since she was in first year. My personal feelings do not come in to this. This is simply the facts,’ she said.
Mr Dunsmuir was a mentor to Ms Reid at the school from when she started in first year, aged 12 (the couple pictured with another teacher)
A photo from Ms Reid’s Facebook appears to show the pair cuddling but does not show their faces
The General Teaching Council for Scotland panel began a hearing on Tuesday to decide whether Mr Dunsmuir’s fitness to teach is impaired.
Mr Dunsmuir did not attend the hearing on Tuesday or Wednesday and did not request legal representation on his behalf.
Their allegations state that the ‘inappropriate relationship’ unfolded between March 2015 and August 2015.
Lynsey Muir, a PE teacher at Largs Academy since 2001, told the panel she ran into Mr Dunsmuir and a group of pupils at the Lounge public house in Largs.
‘Gavin came into the pub with [Ms Reid] and several other pupils. There were four or five in total,’ she said in her evidence.
‘I was with a group of probationary teachers and I told them I had to leave. I felt really uncomfortable. Their body language was close, turning to each other.
‘My blood was boiling from the Lounge. It was in the summer of 2015, so she would’ve been at the end of sixth year.
‘She was a sensitive girl with a heart of gold. She lacked self confidence.’
Mr Dunsmuir was a mentor to Miss Reid at the school from when she started in first year, aged 12, and things developed from there
Ms Dunsmuir revealed Ms Reid was eight months pregnant and the couple were living together
Suspicions were raised about their relationship when the pair were spotted in the Lounge bar in Largs (pictured) ‘looking like a couple’ by an off-duty teacher
Ms Muir said she often walked past the RE room between classes and noticed Ms Reid would be sitting with Mr Dunsmuir alone ‘on a daily basis’
‘I asked Gavin about [Ms Reid] and he told me he was a mentor to her,’ she said.
Alan Leishman, a Chemistry teacher at Largs Academy from 2002, also gave evidence at the hearing.
He was best friends with Gavin during their time at the school together, and even attended his wedding.
‘I felt [Ms Reid] and Gavin developed a relationship. I saw them on exam day, she had been at his house but I didn’t ask why,’ he said.
‘I recall him saying the pupil went as a surprise for his daughter.
‘[Ms Reid] got on well with his daughter. He said he was going to use her as a babysitter. I recall saying to Gavin not to get too close.’
Mr Leishman said his friend told him she had issues and he knew not to get too close.
‘I asked Gavin if anything was going on and he said “no”,’ he told the panel.
Dunsmuir’s career is under threat after being accused of striking up an inappropriate relationship with a teenage pupil while teaching at Largs Academy in North Ayrshire (pictured above)
The ‘relationship’ unfolded between March 2015 and August 2015, and now Mr Dunsmuir’s fitness to teach is being questioned by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in Edinburgh (pictured above)
Mr Leishman also said Mr Dunsmuir’s wife told him the teacher and pupil were having a relationship.
He added that he was ‘speechless’ when Mr Dunsmuir arrived at his home with Ms Reid in his car.
‘I never had a pupil come to my home. Gavin said he’d tell me later why she was in the car, and he said that she was at his house as a surprise,’ he said.
‘I know his daughter liked [Ms Reid]. Gavin mentored her as well as another English teacher.’
North Ayrshire Council confirmed Mr Dunsmuir was no longer working for them.
He was still registered as an RE teacher on the GTCS website. The hearing adjourned on Wednesday.