‘It wasn’t me’ - Ex-principal was prepared to take genitalia photo to prove innocence

When former principal of John Mills All-Age School in St Andrew, Bradley Robinson, learned of serious sexual-based allegations against him, he was determined to go to any lengths to prove his innocence.

In 2014, Robinson was arrested and charged by detectives from the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse following allegations that he had communicated with one of the institution's students and sent her lewd photos via WhatsApp. Upon learning of the accusations and reviewing the evidence against him, including explicit images allegedly sent to the student, Robinson willingly volunteered to have pictures taken of his genitalia.

"Because I knew I was innocent, I was willing to have a doctor appointed by the court take pictures of my genitalia to prove to everyone that those pictures that they had were not my pictures. I didn't take pictures of myself and I didn't send any pictures to anyone," Robinson said, adding that he was stunned to hear such allegations.

"I felt as if the rug was pulled from underneath me...I was shocked, my blood pressure was immediately elevated and it took me a couple of years to really come to terms with what had transpired," he said.

After years of waiting for his case to go to trial, Robinson was finally freed of all charges on October 18 when the prosecution offered no evidence against him. However, the damage has already been done and Robinson's life was irreparably altered by the ordeal, leaving scars that no verdict could erase.

"It has decimated my career as a principal because I have not been able to practise. I also own a master's [degree] in clinical psychology and a master's in educational management and I've not been able to use any of those skills I've acquired," explained the 47-year-old, who started teaching at age 19. He also told THE STAR that the allegations resulted in him losing his home because he was jobless and could not make his mortgage payments.

"It was a ripple effect, I lost so much, I lost my house, I lost family," Robinson said, adding that the stress and hardships strained his marriage, ultimately contributing to his divorce in 2019.

Despite the hardships, Robinson, who is now a farmer, has found ways to pivot and make the best of a terrible situation. Now, he is simply embracing the freedom that comes with having his name cleared.

"I'm just taking the moment now to enjoy that I'm a free man. I've not been able to travel in nine years. I've not been able to practise my skills, and for the last few weeks that I've been exonerated, I've just been enjoying the moment," Robinson said.

"This experience has made me stronger. I'm more resilient now than I ever was before everything happened," he said.