A former Ilford teacher jailed for having sex with an underage pupil has been banned from the profession for life.

Rory Thorndyke was sentenced to four-and-a-half years imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court in January 2021 for ten offences relating to his conduct with the child.

This included two counts of penetrative sexual activity and two counts of non-penetrative sexual activity.

READ MORE: Two more men charged after drill rappers killed in double shooting

Thorndyke, 36, was also guilty of four counts of abusing a position of trust and two counts of possessing an indecent photograph of a child.

He was sacked by the school he taught at in 2018.

A panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency considered the case last month and recommended to ban Thorndyke from teaching.

A report said: "The panel considered Mr Thorndyke’s conduct to be of the utmost seriousness and extremely grave.

"His behaviour was completely incompatible with the standards and behaviour expected of any member of the public, let alone a teacher who is placed in the position of trust with children."

Thorndyke did not heed "several warnings" about his behaviour, the report added, and his conduct escalated to serious sexual activity with the child.

It said: "The panel were in no doubt that Mr Thorndyke’s actions had been deliberate, calculated and sexually motivated.

"There was no evidence presented to suggest that Mr Thorndyke was acting under extreme duress."

The risk to the safety and security of pupils was heightened in his case because he often worked with pupils on a one-to-one basis, the panel felt.

Thorndyke pleaded guilty to the offences in court but did not provide any mitigating evidence to the panel.

This meant the panel was "unable to fully assess Mr Thorndyke’s insight into his conduct and/or any remorse".

It made the banning order recommendation as "the public interest considerations outweighed the interests of Mr Thorndyke".

The report said: "The extremely grave nature of the multiple sexual offences committed were significant factors in forming that opinion."

A decision was made on behalf of the Secretary of State to uphold the panel's recommendation.

The indefinite ban means Thorndyke cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

He will also not be able to apply for restoration of his teaching eligibility but can appeal to the High Court within 28 days of the order.

For the latest crime news in east London, join our East London Crime Watch group on Facebook.