SWINDON Council has conceded it knew about allegations of misconduct against a teacher employed by a special education unit in the town four years before they suspended him.

The Adver reported last week that Danish Bilha Maider Khan, 31, who has worked at Stratton Education Centre and Riverside since 2006, was last month found guilty of two counts of misconduct by a General Teaching Council For Wales professional conduct committee.

It related to allegations, including that he had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old pupil, dating back to 2004 and 2005 while he was a teacher at two separate schools in Gwent, South Wales, before he was employed by Swindon Council.

The council initially stated it was unaware of the allegations until the hearing on June 15 but, more than a week later, they have now backtracked, confirming they were told by Gwent Police in 2008 that Mr Khan was being investigated and decided not to take any action.

After the police and CPS dropped the case the council referred the teacher to the Independent Safeguarding Authority, which in turn led to him being investigated by the GTCW.

A spokesman for the council said: “Mr Khan was employed by the council in 2006 following all the usual pre-employment checks, which included references from previous employers.

“The council was made aware in 2008 of the allegations being investigated by the police in Gwent, and regular meetings were held with various agencies to assess whether Mr Khan should continue to teach as the investigation progressed.

“In December 2008 the police and CPS in Gwent confirmed that their investigation into the allegations made in Wales were complete, and there was not enough evidence to prosecute. The council therefore had no grounds to take any further action over these allegations.

“However, as an additional safeguard it was considered appropriate to refer him to the Independent Safeguard-ing Authority, who have subsequently referred the matter to the General Teaching Council of Wales.

“Following the GTCW ruling last month, Mr Khan was again suspended. The council is now waiting for the GTCW to decide on the level of sanction it will impose on Mr Khan and will review his future once this is known. One of the sanctions available to the GTCW is a prohibitive order, which prevents anyone subject to it from working as a teacher in England or Wales.”