Fury as Merseyside fireman is disciplined for helping to catch child porn teacher

Dec 10 2012 by Lorna Hughes, Liverpool Echo

Rob Hughes

A MERSEYSIDE firefighter was disciplined after helping police catch a teacher who later admitted a string of child porn offences.

Roy Stewart was investigated by bosses at Merseyside Fire Service for taking a disc from the Wallasey home of Rob Hughes.

The ECHO understands he became suspicious of Mr Hughes after helping to put out a fire in a pan of food at the house on Mount Road and later reported his concerns to Merseyside Police.

Hughes, who was deputy headteacher at Wallasey School for 17 years, later admitted 13 counts of making indecent photographs and computer-generated “pseudo” images of children.

But Mr Stewart was given a final written warning and fined a month’s wages by the fire service for removing the disc from the property.

Merseyside Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which supported Mr Stewart through the disciplinary process, argued his actions were in the public interest.

Les Skarratts, branch secretary of the Merseyside FBU, called on the fire service to “do the decent thing” and withdraw Mr Stewart’s punishment.

He said: “I can confirm one of my members has been subject to disciplinary procedures for discovering a disc that contained evidence that led to the prosecution of Mr Hughes.

“We ran a public interest defence which was not successful.

“Mr Stewart has been severely disciplined and we are now awaiting the outcome of an appeal.

“We trust the fire service will do the decent thing and uphold it.”

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