Teacher who had sex with pupil starts project to help former offenders | UK News

A teacher who had an affair with a 17-year-old boy has created a support group for others with criminal records. 

Eppie Sprung, 37, received £7,530 from the National Lottery Community Fund to set up a website for Next Chapter Scotland, which aims to help offenders navigate discrimination as well as sharing their experiences. 

Sprung wrote on her blog: ‘I’m Eppie, mum, wife, daughter, sister, friend, volunteer, business owner and sex offender. 

‘That’s not something that’s comfortable to write and it’s certainly not something that’s comfortable to live with.

‘But here we are. I made a series of bad decisions a long time ago that hurt a lot of people and led to me living with the title of ‘sex offender’ for the rest of my life.’

Formerly an English teacher at Catholic St Joseph’s College in Dumfries, Sprung was discovered half-clothed with a pupil in a lay-by by police after a school dance in 2012. 

The affair cost Sprung her job and her two-year marriage with her husband. 

She explained on her blog that she set up Next Chapter Scotland because she ‘feels passionately about people with criminal records sharing their experiences’.

She added she wants ‘to help others find a way through their own challenges, and to help anyone without a criminal record to understand the lifelong impact a criminal record can have.’

A National Lottery Community Fund spokeswoman said: ‘This project has received a £7,530 grant to set up a website where people in Scotland with previous criminal convictions can access practical information and advice to help them move on with their lives and make a more positive contribution to society.’

It’s not the only story about a teacher who previously engaged in inappropriate conduct with a student to make headlines this week. 

Former supply teacher Kandice Barber, 37, of Buckinghamshire, was jailed for six years and two months in March 2021 after a court found her guilty of grooming a child. 

The mother-of-three landed a job with Wates Construction after securing early release, where sources claim she’s been flirting with colleagues. 

They told The Sun newspaper on Tuesday: ‘It’s no secret she’s a massive flirt and lots of the staff there have already noticed her.

‘Kandice turned up about two months ago, which was a complete shock because she should still have been behind bars.’

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