King’s College London student found to be sending ‘sexually motivated’ messages to teens

King’s College London PhD student has been found to be sending “sexually motivated” messages to teens.

Daniyal Burney was an RE teacher in Hertfordshire when he contacted three “vulnerable” teenage pupils. He has recently been banned from the profession.

At one point, Burney exchanged more than 200 emails with a pupil. He also messaged another on WhatsApp and Instagram. The student admitted he had exchanged “informal and/or inappropriate” emails with the pupils, but denied he was being “sexually inappropriate”.

Burney claimed to have a “friend-like” relationship with these pupils. This claim was rejected by a Teaching Regulation Agency misconduct panel. In its report, the panel said: “Given the teacher–pupil dynamic, the informality of messaging and the overfamiliarity with pupils who were known to be vulnerable, it could draw the inference that Mr Burney’s behaviour was done in the pursuit of a future sexual relationship.”

According to The Standard, during his suspension, the King’s student continued to contact one of the pupils. He was told not to contact anyone from the school, including pupils. The panel described his actions as “calculated” and “motivated”. They claim he “did not appear to acknowledge the impact of his conduct upon the pupils…who were all vulnerable teenagers”, despite showing “some remorse”.

In March, the university gave the 27-year-old an award for being an “outstanding student”. He receives a stipend of more than £21,000 a year and a grant covering his tuition fees. As well has his PhD, the ex-teacher gained his qualification, undergraduate and Master’s degree from KCL, according to his LinkedIn. His research focuses on changes of leadership in social movements, particularly in the Islamic world.

The university is aware of the messages and has since initiated the relevant processes for the matter.

King’s College London has been approached for comment.