Sarah Hooper
Published November 28, 2025 10:55am
Updated November 28, 2025 10:56am
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The married head teacher ‘traumatised’ multiple women (Picture: Wales News Service)
A married head teacher who exposed himself to staff on school premises and on a school trip has been struck off the teaching register for at least 15 years.
The ‘predatory’ and ‘sexualised’ behaviour of James ‘Jamie’ Richards, former head teacher of Swansea’s Cadle Primary, shocked the community, resulting in all allegations against him being proved after a four-day hearing.
A panel found the father-of-two’s behaviour over a decade had put others at risk, and left multiple women traumatised between 2011 and 2021.
On one occasion, Richards exposed his penis to a teacher on a school trip, telling her: ‘Inspect this, miss.’
Another member of staff was called to his office to find him standing next to his desk with his trousers pulled down and his erect penis in full view.
Former and current staff described how he had told one to go to his office, where he was sitting with his penis out, disguised with a pair of glasses draped over it.
He worked at Swansea’s Cadle Primary in Wales (Picture: Wales News Service)
He also showed photos of his penis on a phone during a meeting and shared a video of him ‘caressing’ himself.
The women said they were left feeling shocked, numb and frightened.
They couldn’t believe the seemingly friendly head would do this, especially on school premises, the hearing was told.
At times, he had appeared apologetic afterwards and was said to have told one female member of staff as he exposed his penis: ‘I love my wife and children. I can’t help myself.’
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To another, he said, ‘You have seen too much of me’ after showing her images of his penis instead of a work presentation.
In total, five women who worked with Richards described how he exposed himself to them, leaving them too scared to report him.
Richards won’t be able to teach for 15 years (Picture: Wales News Service)
A sixth described the IT kit the school had provided him and how Richards had not returned one laptop as requested during an internal investigation. It was this laptop he was said to have used to show naked images of his genitals.
He appeared to have gone out of his way to expose himself to members of staff he suspected may not be willing or feel able to report his actions.
He had been helpful to them and was well-liked in the school community, but the women feared they would not be believed if they reported his actions.
One said she felt justified in that belief when South Wales Police were alerted, but decided there was no criminal case to answer in late 2021.
She told the panel she had felt silenced while the man who exposed himself to her and others essentially ‘got away with it’.
Richards did not engage with the EWC process, was not at the hearing nor represented, and did not respond to the allegations. As such, all the allegations were taken as denied by the panel.
Panel chair Sue Davies described how Richards had refused to be interviewed for the school’s independent internal investigation in 2021 because of ‘ill health’ affecting his cognitive and physical abilities.
A Swansea Council fraud team followed Richards while he claimed to be ill and filmed him driving and going with a group of male friends to play golf.
Footage shown to the hearing showed the disgraced former head teacher striding across a golf course in apparent good health and taking swings with a golf club.
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Chair Sue Davies said: ‘Mr Richards was seeking sexual gratification by his actions and enjoyed the reaction of colleagues. Mr Richards was dishonest and self-serving. He had a history and pattern of behaviour.
‘This was deeply entrenched behaviour which represents a risk to young women and colleagues.’
The committee said it did not have any information on the former head’s current work or whether he intended to try to return to the teaching profession, but said they had no alternative but to strike him off the EWC register, where he had been listed under the category of school teacher.
Richards has the right of appeal to the High Court within 28 days.
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