Primary teacher who carried out solo sex act at Braehead Shopping Centre struck off

A primary school teacher who carried out a solo sex act at Braehead Shopping Centre has been struck from the register.

David Buchanan-Smith, who was a provisionally registered teacher, was convicted of public indecency at Glasgow Sheriff Court on July 18, 2025.

The provisionally registered teacher was found to have exposed himself and carried out solo sex acts in a variety of locations, including Bellahouston Park in Glasgow and at Braehead Shopping Mall, over a period of three months between July and September, 2024.

Buchanan-Smith was handed a community payback order and supervised for 12 months following his conviction. He was not added to the sex offenders register.

The General Teaching Council considered whether Buchanan-Smith was fit to continue to teach following his conviction.

The primary teacher said that while he was not currently teaching and not actively looking to teach at present, he expressed a wish to the panel that he could teach again “at some point in the future”.

He also advised the panel that he regretted his actions and is undergoing counselling to better manage his mental health and behaviour.

The GTC panel said Buchanan-Smith’s actions were serious and sexually motivated, and his behaviour fell short of the professional standards expected of a teacher.

The panel added it was of the view there was no evidence to indicate that Buchanan-Smith’s behaviour was remediable or had been remedied and the Panel could not be satisfied that there would not be a recurrence of this behaviour.

The panel’s view was reinforced by the fact that Buchanan-Smith’s offences were conducted over an extended period and could not be dismissed as an isolated or one-off incident.

As a result, Buchanan-Smith was struck from the register. He will be allowed to reapply after two years.