A FORMER teacher who almost killed a man in a hit and run on a Scots street has had his appeal to get back into the classroom rejected.
Mohammed Anwar struck a pedestrian at high speed on Glassford Street in Glasgow in 2015 before speeding off.
The pedestrian hung on to the bonnet of the car and was left permanently disfigured by the incident.
The ex-computing teacher, then 27, was subsequently charged with two counts under the Road Traffic Act 1988 which he pled guilty to at Glasgow Sheriff Court in September 2017.
He was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for 45 months as a result.
Anwar, who was employed by Perth and Kinross Council at the time, was struck off the register by the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS) in 2019 following his conviction.
Last week it was revealed that he had tried to reapply to return back to his teaching profession.
However, the GTCS decided to reject the application.
The GTCS finding of facts relating to the case stated that: “On 14 November 2015 on a road or other public place, namely Glassford Street, Stockwell Street and Howard Street, all Glasgow, you did cause serious injury to a person unknown.
“By driving a mechanically propelled vehicle dangerously and did drive at excessive speed, cause your vehicle to strike said unknown person and whilst said person was holding onto the roof of your vehicle, drive at excessive speed [and] fail to comply with red traffic signals.
“And [you] did subsequently cause said person to be thrown from your vehicle and strike the ground all to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life.”
“[You] did fail to stop and give your name and address and also the name and address of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle to any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring.”
On making their decision to deny the re-application, the GTCS said: “The panel was concerned by the complete absence of any reference to the offending behaviour or any evidence of insight into why the applicant was removed from the register in the first place within the application Form.”
“The panel was not satisfied the applicant demonstrated any insight or remorse in relation to the matters that led to him being removed from the register.
“Whilst the applicant did plead guilty to the charges, he did not attend the Fitness to Teach full hearing in 2019 where the panel at the time decided to remove his name from the register.
“The panel carefully considered the papers before it in search for any evidence of insight on the part of the applicant standing the hearing took place in the applicant’s absence. The panel found no such evidence.
“The panel was concerned that the applicant had been careless in his application for subsequent registration.
“First, he failed to address the reason for his removal from the register. Secondly, he failed to properly complete the application form.
“The applicant stated in terms of the outcome of conviction that he was imprisoned for six months. In fact, he was sentenced to a period of imprisonment of 18 months. The applicant failed to provide any explanation as to that discrepancy.
“Overall, the applicant’s application Form, when taken together with his email communication with the SO in October 2022 and his failure to attend the hearing caused the panel to conclude that the applicant failed to appreciate the seriousness of his application and the proceedings more generally.”
The GTCS concluded that Anwar could not reapply for the next 18 months, but has the right to appeal this decision.
