I am writing to correct and refute the substance and tone of your front page story (Struck Off, Wimbledon Guardian, December 8, 2011).

Your article, through its headline and its first sentence, stated that I had been guilty of “sexual and other inappropriate acts” with “young girls” and had “sent love letters” to them.

This is completely and utterly untrue.

In the 14 months of hearings and appeals, which eventually led to my dismissal, I was never accused of sexual acts with young girls nor of sending love letters.

The report of the General Teaching Council hearing on its website made no reference whatsoever to any “sexual acts” or “young girls” or “love letters”. No charges of sexual impropriety have ever been referred to the police nor has any police investigation been carried out. I have neither been arrested nor charged.

It seems clear to me that the Wimbledon Guardian did not check its article with Raynes Park High School, Merton Council nor the police before publishing.

I was certainly struck off by the GTC – 15 months after I had actually left the teaching profession.

I refused to attend the hearing to defend myself because I had no confidence in the honesty of the school’s evidence nor in their intentions. I did not want to work for a head teacher again and I was exhausted by my long fight to save my job.

The GTC judgement itself is misleading and contains inaccuracies. Misreporting it makes this worse.

As a direct result of the Wimbledon Guardian article, I have lost paid work.

I have been verbally abused on Facebook being told that I “should be sent down with Gary Glitter” and that I should not be talking to friends who are former students because “we seen you in the newspaper”.

I have been cold-shouldered by a shop assistant who went to Raynes Park. I am now anxious about using my favourite shops in the area I have lived in since I was four.

I was employed at Raynes Park High School for 35 years and was head of English for more than 20.

The support I have received from former students has been wonderful but it does not undo the damage the Wimbledon Guardian has done to my good name.

To quote Iago further, that damage “makes me poor indeed”.

I strongly believe that the Wimbledon Guardian article by no means represented responsible reporting.

Wyn Jones

By email