Bede's School caretaker Stuart Towner sacked over relationship 24 June 2013 Last updated at 19:36 A caretaker at a Sussex boarding school has been sacked over an "inappropriate relationship" with a teenage pupil. Stuart Towner lost his job at Bede's School, Upper Dicker, and the house that went with it when his relationship with the girl, now 17, was discovered. The school said it was advised Mr Towner had committed no offence but had breached school rules on safeguarding. The Wealden councillor, who has since been fined and banned from driving for drink-driving, has refused to comment. Local Conservatives have now suspended Mr Towner, who serves on both Wealden district and Hailsham town councils, pending an investigation. We worked closely with the police and social services, who advised us that this was not a criminal matter End Quote Bede's School statement Safeguarding policy A Wealden council spokesman said he remained a councillor because his relationship with the girl did not break the law and the punishment for his drink-driving offence was not heavy enough to trigger automatic disqualification. The independent school said in a statement that Mr Towner had been sacked as caretaker for breaching its safeguarding policy in respect of pupils. "He was dismissed for an inappropriate relationship with a sixth-form student, who is 17 years old," it said. We worked closely with the police and social services, who advised us that this was not a criminal matter and that we should conduct an internal investigation, which subsequently led to Mr Towner's dismissal. In court in Hastings, magistrates heard that Towner, 38, had been found to be twice the legal blood-alcohol limit when he was stopped by police near Eastbourne. The court was told that since his sacking, his marriage had broken up. Towner, who admitted driving while over the legal alcohol limit, was fined £100 and banned from driving for 20 months.