A former primary school teacher has been banned from teaching for life after sending sexual messages to a schoolgirl under 16, including telling her he "wanted to join her in bed" and asking if she was a virgin. Daniel Duhig, 29, from Hornchurch, Essex, met the girl on an 18+ dating app while working at Godwin Primary School in Dagenham, and was later convicted of trying to engage in sexual communication with a child. The case highlights the failure of professional safeguards, as concerns about Duhig's boundaries with pupils had already been raised before the offence came to light.

Duhig sent the messages in December 2023, was arrested the following January, and pleaded guilty at Barkingside Magistrates' Court in May 2025, receiving a six-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours of unpaid work, and seven years on the Sex Offenders' Register. A teaching panel found the risk of him reoffending was "high" and that he had shown little genuine insight into the impact of his actions, despite expressing remorse and asking the school for another chance. He had studied primary education at the University of East London and previously worked as a learning support assistant in Redbridge.