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A former North Vancouver teacher has been handed a lifetime ban on teaching after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Graham Bowering, a teacher at Ross Road Elementary and Gibsons resident, was charged on April 26, 2021 for possession of child pornography after a months-long investigation by Sunshine Coast RCMP.
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Mounties said they began investigating Bowering eight months ago, in August 2020, after an electronic service provider notified police about an account user who allegedly had child pornography in their possession.
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According to a consent resolution agreement signed this February and March by Bowering and the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, RCMP executed a search warrant on Bowering’s home in the Sunshine Coast on Feb. 28, 2021 and seized videos, images and writing considered to be child pornography.
Bowering did not inform the school about the search and continued teaching until March 12, when spring break began that year.
Three days later, he was arrested by police and charged. At the time, Sunshine RCMP issued a public alert about Bowering as his position as a teacher requires him to have direct contact with children. It said no children in the Lower Mainland had been identified as potential victims.
After reviewing information on the charges against Bowering, the commissioner launched an internal investigation in June.
On Feb. 2, 2022, Bowering pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and in January 2023 was sentenced to a 10-month conditional sentence, two years probation and will go on the national sex offender registry. He was also prohibited to be alone with anyone under 16.
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Bowering, who had been on a formal leave of absence from the district since March 29, 2021, was fired on Feb. 15, 2022.
In the agreement, Bowering admitted his conduct constitutes professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming. He agreed he will not apply for and will not be issued a certificate to teach in the K-12 education system.
A lifetime ban is appropriate, wrote Commissioner Ana R. Mohammed, because Bowering’s conduct was “on the serious end of the spectrum,” and undermined the credibility of the teaching profession by violating laws that protect children from sexual exploitation.
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