'120mph crash' head is struck off

Paul Davies was released early from prison on licence

A head teacher who was jailed for dangerous driving at up to 120mph has been struck off for damaging the reputation of his profession.

Cwmdare Primary School head Paul Davies, 52, from Hirwaun, Cynon Valley, had returned to work last month.

Earlier he spoke of his "burden of guilt" over the head-on crash which left another driver in a wheelchair.

He cannot reapply to the register for at least two years, ruled the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW).

He has 28 days to appeal against the penalty imposed by the GTCW, who decided his conviction had brought the teaching profession into disrepute.

Mr Davies, in a statement to the hearing, told how while in an open prison he had helped other inmates with their reading and writing.

He also worked on a farm during his custodial sentence, having been transferred to an open prison after just a week.

The accident and its consequences will always remain with me, but I ask that it should neither define me nor end my professional career Paul Davies

Mr Davies was jailed for 15 months last year after one witness said she believed his Subaru Impreza was travelling at up to 120mph.

Governors allowed Mr Davies to return to his job in January. He had been released early last September, under licence, with an electronic tag.

The professional conduct hearing on Monday heard details of the crash in May 2006 on the A465 heads of the valleys road.

'Severely injured'

Victim Kelvin Palmer spent 10 months in hospital and is now forced to live in a respite care centre 30 miles from his home as a result of the crash.

Presenting officer Margaret Bromley, outlining the case on behalf of the council, told the hearing Mr Davies was driving too quickly for the "awful" road conditions, which had become hazardous because of rain.

Mr Palmer was left "severely" injured and Mr Davies's driving had had an "absolutely devastating" effect on him, Ms Bromley said.

"He has been unable to return to his job and his family in the way Mr Davies has been able to do," she said.

Kelvin Palmer spent 10 months in hospital and uses a wheelchair

Reading a statement to the GTCW committee, Mr Davies said: "As well as serving a prison sentence, I will always have to carry the burden of guilt of knowing I am responsible for causing the serious injuries sustained by Mr Palmer."

He accepted that his speed was too high, but claimed he had not been driving at more than 60mph.

Mr Davies told the council panel: "The accident and its consequences will always remain with me, but I ask that it should neither define me nor end my professional career."

School governors had allowed Mr Davies to return to work on 16 January, despite Rhondda Cynon Taf Council advising them to wait until the GTCW's inquiry was complete.

Mr Davies was sentenced at Newport Crown Court after Judge Stephen Hopkins described his driving in wet and windy conditions as "lunatic" and as having the "mentality of a boy racer."

He was also banned from driving for two years and will have to take an extended retest before he is allowed to drive again.

Committee chairwoman Jacquie Turnbull said: "The conduct of a teacher both inside and outside work is subject to scrutiny."

She said the conviction and jail sentence "seriously damages the reputation of the profession."