Headmaster who said he'd name school for Harry Kane arrested in front of pupils
The headmaster who once vowed to rename his school after Harry Kane has been arrested on charges of harassment.
Gregory Hill, 47, stands accused of pursuing a woman at the school seeking a 'romantic relationship', who rejected his advances. It is alleged that he inundated her over X, formerly known as Twitter, and WhatsApp. It is claimed that he later continued to harass her at the junior school and requested that she accompany him to Sandringham to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Hill is accused of pursuing a course of conduct which amounted to harassment between March 12 last year and February 22 this year. The educator is also accused of resisting a police officer after he was arrested in front of children and parents at Howard Junior School in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
The headmaster temporarily changed his school's name to Harry Kane Junior School in 2022 (Offside via Getty Images)He denied both charges during his appearance at at Norwich Magistrates Court today, reports the MailOnline. He will now stand trial in June of next year. The charge alleges that he knew or ought to have known that his behaviour amounted to harassment.
The headmaster won a local 'Inspirational Teacher of the Year' award last summer and made the news again only months later after he promised to change the school's name permanently to Harry Kane. He temporarily changed it to Harry Kane Junior School during last year's World Cup but promised to keep the name if the men's football team won the tournament. He said at the time: "If we win now, no child will see this again in their lifetime, so why not go for it and have a tribute to Harry Kane?" However, the Three Lions were knocked out in the quarter-finals by France.
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Details of a series of incidents alleged to have happened were read out in court as Hill listened to them in a glass fronted dock. It was stated that Hill contacted the woman on Twitter, as it was known then, on March 13 last year after telling her the previous week that he wished to ‘pursue a romantic relationship’ with her. He is also also accused of sending her WhatsApp messages on May 2 last year that included comments about her appearance. The charge also alleges that he confronted her days later on May 6 in school concerning a grievance she had raised requesting a meeting with the chairman of trustees of the academy.
It goes on to states that he ‘requested her personal attendance’ to accompany him to Sandringham last September following the death of the Queen. At the time, a girl from Howard Junior School called Elizabeth Sulkovska made headlines when Kate Middleton picked her out from the crowd at Sandringham and placed her tribute to the Queen among a sea of flowers. Hill was quoted as saying: "Elizabeth was overwhelmed, she cried with joy at being chosen. It's just a wonderful, amazing opportunity." He went on to say that the monarch's death had "touched a young generation."
In addition, Hill is said to have confronted the woman on November 7 in relation to another member of staff and made her ‘feel distressed’ on November 20. The charge went on to state that he ‘embarrassed’ her at a school assembly on December 16 and spoke to her on January 17 of this year ‘in relation to pursuing a lesbian relationship’.
Hill is also alleged to have spoken to her on January 18 regarding members of her family and partner and then called her on WhatsApp on February 7. The charge also states that he spoke to her on February 8 about ‘approaching members of staff in relation to her grievance with you.’ Finally, Hill was accused of taking photographs of her vehicle on February 18 as well as confronting her ‘in an aggressive manner’ on February 21. A second charge alleges that he resisted PC Hollington ‘in the execution’ of her duty in King’s Lynn on March 6 this year. Hill, who has been headmaster of the school for the past 16 years, wore a dark suit and white shirt with a striped tie and pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Barrister Matthew Dance, representing Hill, said the headmaster would be contesting that any of his contact with the woman amounted to harassment or he did not believe it did. He noted that the evidence given contained some ‘factual disputes’. Mr Dance requested to see the full 33 minutes of footage from body worn camera recorded by Norfolk Police during and after his arrest.
Hill claimed in March that he had a panic attack when two women police officers in plain clothes wanted to question him after he arrived for work on the morning of March 6. He then claimed he tried to film the officers but had his mobile phone removed from him before he had a ‘panic attack’ and ‘curled up in a ball’ on the ground. Hill said that he passed out during his arrest and was restrained in handcuffs before he came to in a police van.
District Judge David Wilson adjourned the case for a three-day trial, which is due to take place at King’s Lynn Magistrates' Court on June 25 and 26 and Norwich Magistrates' Court on June 28 next year.
A number of people who witnessed his arrest were due to give evidence, the court heard. The judge also adjourned consideration of making a stalking protection order until after the trail has finished. Hill was bailed on a number of conditions, including stayed away from his school and two addresses in Norfolk, not contacting any witnesses in the case and notifying police about any social media accounts he was using.
Outside court he said that he was on sick leave from his posts as headmaster and as chief executive officer of the Apollo Academies Trust which runs Howard Junior School. At the time of writing the school’s website refers to him as 'Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead' as well as being an 'Apple Teacher' after the school was named an Apple Distinguished School.
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