A former reality TV star who became a teacher recruited a student and a dinner lady to help him steal a phone from a pupil, a court has heard.
The Plan
Lewis Hepworth, 29, 'hatched a plan' to take the device following his dismissal from a school in Harrow after he was arrested for allegedly stalking a 16-year-old pupil. He was accused of sending messages to the teenager and turning up at their family home, but the stalking charge was withdrawn.
Hepworth, who appeared in ITV's The Only Way Is Essex in 2017 and Channel Four's Coach Trip in 2018, was Head of Year 11 and a child development teacher.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the plot involved taking the phone from a box where it had been stored before a dinner lady would pick it up from a hedge.
Prosecutor Bethany Hutchinson said: 'The students had their phones in a box. The plan with the second student was she would steal the phone from the box. There was also a dinner lady involved in this plan. The plan, it appears, is that the student would steal it from the box and then the dinner lady would pick the phone from the hedge. I don't know what has come of the dinner lady but that's what happened.'
Court Proceedings
After the student noticed their phone was missing, the school reviewed CCTV showing the other pupil taking the phone. Tim Bass, defending, said Hepworth had a 'history of dealing with troubled children' but 'went too far'. 'He did get involved in the complainant's affairs, and family affairs. But he was trying to assist those involved. This particular relationship went particularly sour. This defendant was calling the police about messages he had received. The reason for taking the phone was to stop any more messages reaching him and his family.'
Ms Hutchinson called for a jail sentence to be passed as Hepworth abused his position of trust as a teacher and involved another student in his crime. 'This was a leading role in a group. He enlisted the help of a student and a dinner lady,' she said.
The judge, Mr Recorder Tom Forster KC, warned Hepworth: 'I have decided to order a pre-sentence report in your case as I think this is a finely balanced decision. All options remain open.'
Background
Hepworth, of Archer Close, Barnet, denied but was convicted of theft. He was bailed with an electronic GPS tag and a condition not to contact the victim. Hepworth has appeared in films Hello Au Revoir (2021) and 100 Balfour Road (2017). His television credits include appearances on Judge Rinder (2018) and gameshow Cannonball (2017). Hepworth appeared on Coach Trip: Road to Tenerife with his boyfriend, Adam, in 2018. According to Companies House records, he was a director of LDNTV Ltd in 2019 - a media and entertainment business focused on talent shows and singing competitions. The company was later dissolved.
