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Daily Dazzling Dawn can confirm that convicted former teacher Patrick Thomas – previously known as Josh Mills-Afford – will face a formal lifetime prohibition order from the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) within months, as the institutional consequences of his offending extend beyond his 22-month prison sentence.
The 37-year-old father of one, of Blake Road, West Bridgford, pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court to 11 charges of sexual activity with a girl while being an adult and abusing his position of trust, alongside one count of possession of an indecent image of a child. He has no previous convictions.
Under standard custodial sentencing provisions, Thomas will serve half of his 22-month term – approximately 11 months – in prison before becoming eligible for release on licence. Upon release, he will be required to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and will be subject to supervision conditions imposed by the National Probation Service.
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Judge Mark Watson, sentencing, rejected defence arguments that the behaviour did not constitute grooming. “You knew this was something you could get away with,” the judge told Thomas. “The girls might have been over the age of consent but they were not equipped to deal with a relationship so one-sided in terms of the power dynamics.”
The judge added: “Your sexual abuse was a breach of the trust placed in you when you taught. School should be a place where pupils not only reach their academic achievements but where they spend their formative years and reach adulthood.”
The Teaching Regulation Agency has confirmed to the Daily Dazzling Dawn that a prohibition order is being processed. While the court heard from mitigating barrister Simon Eckersley that Thomas’s teaching career has already been destroyed and he will never teach again, the TRA’s formal order is the legal mechanism required to make that ban permanent and enforceable across all state and independent schools in England.
A TRA spokesperson indicated that such orders typically proceed on an accelerated timeline following a criminal conviction of this nature. The order, once issued, will bar Thomas from any classroom setting indefinitely, and any future application to teach would be automatically refused.
The court heard that Thomas targeted both victims while they were 17 years old, during separate school trips years apart.
Prosecutor Mark Bates detailed how the first victim was touched on the thigh and breast during a cinema outing on a school trip. That initial contact escalated to meetings in a car park, then to full sexual intercourse. Thomas requested a topless photograph from the teenager, which she sent. When she attempted to end the relationship, Thomas kissed her in a classroom cupboard at the school.
The second victim came forward only after learning of the first complaint. She disclosed that Thomas had purchased alcohol for her during a school trip years earlier and had requested naked images of her, which she never sent.
The Human Toll: Victims’ Own Words
Both victims bravely read their impact statements aloud in open court.
One said: “I was in constant fear about what was happening but I did not want to get him into any trouble. Before all this happened I was a happy girl and I felt like I was doing really well and getting good grades. But after the time this happened I became a mess, I felt stupid and naive.”
The second victim told the court: “I was manipulated into believing what was happening was normal. I lied to my family and friends to protect Josh. I hope I can come to terms with what happened.”
The court also heard that one victim’s wish to study at university had been dashed by low grades achieved following the abuse. The other spoke of the guilt she felt keeping the relationship secret from her parents and friends.
The Teaching Regulation Agency’s prohibition order is expected to be formally issued within three to six months, following standard administrative timelines. Thomas will have the right to make representations before the order is finalised, though no legal challenge to the prohibition is expected given his guilty pleas.
Thomas’s marriage has already collapsed as a result of the case becoming public, the court heard. His defence barrister noted that he has lost his job and his career is finished.
The identities of both victims remain protected by lifelong anonymity orders under UK law. Any publication identifying them would be in contempt of court.
Nottinghamshire Police have confirmed that their investigation concluded with Thomas’s guilty pleas. No further information has been released regarding any other complaints.
The Unanswered Question
While the criminal case has concluded, the educational community faces a persistent question: how did a teacher abuse his position of trust twice, across separate school trips years apart, without detection? That question now falls to school leaders and safeguarding bodies to examine through internal reviews, none of which have been publicly disclosed.
For the two young women who came forward, the sentence brings legal closure but not an end to the consequences they will carry. Their courage in speaking out ensured that a predator was removed from the classroom permanently.
