11 March 2024 , 08:35
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A paedophile teacher jailed for having sex with a 15-year-old schoolboy has been released from prison.
Kandice Barber was sentenced to six years and two months in 2021 after being found guilty of engaging a child in sexual activity. The mum of three's behaviour came to light when a topless picture she had sent her victim was seen by so many people it ended up on the head’s desk and she was locked up.
Barber, 37, has now been freed from East Sutton Park Women's prison in Kent after serving half her sentence, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
During her time in prison she struck up a relationship with fellow lag Jay Delaney, who was convicted of fraud. Last year, the pair met up when they were both on temporary prison release, used to reintegrate those about to be released back into society. The temporary freedom was cancelled when their relationship was discovered.
During the trial, the judge blasted the mum of three as 'beyond despicable' for sending the boy topless photos and explicit messages while teaching him at Princes Risborough School. She now plans to start “rebuilding her life”
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A source told MailOnline: “She can consider herself very fortunate to be released at the halfway point of her sentence after such a serious infringement of prison rules. Although she is now out of jail she will be carefully monitored as a sex offender and will have to register her details and movements with the police.”
Barber outside court in 2012 (PA)A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the Mirror: “Sex offenders face some of the strictest licence conditions and can be put back behind bars if they break the rules at any point in their sentence.”
In January, the Teaching Regulation Agency handed out a lifelong ban as they ruled her preying on a young boy had demonstrated a “callous and selfish disregard for her pupil’s well-being” and “the public would rightly be appalled by her behaviour”.
Earlier this month Barber’s ex-husband Danny Barber said: “Her disqualification from teaching is exactly what any parent would expect to happen, no other outcome would have been tolerated.
"If she had continued her path in teaching as she started it I'm sure she would have gone on to have a very good career, but she did something unthinkable that devastated so many lives.
“Now you can only say she is no loss to the profession after what she did to that young boy, his family and the repercussions it has brought on her own family.”
The banned teacher is said to have started a relationship with fellow inmate Jay Delaney (Essex Police)Susanne Staab, who chaired the Teaching Regulation Agency hearing in January, said: “In 2018, Ms Barber was 33 years old and working as a form tutor and cover supervisor at the School. In 2019, police investigated an allegation that she had groomed a 15-year-old male pupil, had sex with him, and sent him sexual communications.
“The sexual communications included a video of her engaging in sexual activity, and a message containing a sexual innuendo sent while they were both in school, during which Ms Barber referred to teaching him. Ms Barber was charged with three offences and pleaded not guilty. After the trial, she was convicted and sentenced to a total of six years and two months in prison and was the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
“The panel decided the public interest considerations outweighed the interests of Ms Barber. Her conduct was so egregious and harmful as to be fundamentally incompatible with her being allowed to teach in future.”