Image copyright Wales News Service

A deputy head teacher has been banned from schools for at least 10 years for having sex with teenage girls.

Education chiefs in Swansea launched an inquiry after Jonathan Norbury, 35, was given an £8,000 pay-off and a glowing reference despite his "sexually-motivated" actions being known.

He was cleared in January 2015 of alleged offences with two of the girls.

A disciplinary panel found 17 of 20 allegations of unacceptable professional misconduct proved.

The hearing in Cardiff was told Mr Norbury, from Swansea, was a primary school teacher and a church deacon but exchanged flirty texts and met up with three teenagers, then aged as young as 15, between 2005 and 2010 for sexual activity.

He denied any sexual contact took place before the girls were 16, admitting some of the allegations but arguing they had mistakenly or deliberately got their dates wrong.

Case presenter Cadi Dewi said: "He had a unique level of charisma and boys and girls flocked to him."

'No insight'

David Harris, representing Mr Norbury, told the hearing: "Whatever his character was up until 2010, he's now a changed man," and said he was now in a stable relationship.

Panel chairman Steve Powell said: "Mr Norbury showed no insight into his conduct and repeatedly ignored advice from colleagues.

"Though he admitted some allegations, he continued to deny others. In those denials we find he had lied.

"His conduct is fundamentally at odds with him continuing to work as a teacher.

"Although now in a stable relationship, his lack of insight means the committee cannot be satisfied there will be no repetition of this type of behaviour in future."

A Swansea council spokesman said: "We welcome the decision of the panel. Their decision demonstrates we took appropriate action in dismissing Mr Norbury and referring him to the EWC ( Education Workforce Council).

"However, we are concerned about the processes which led to Mr Norbury receiving his reference, and have therefore commissioned an independent review."