Updated November 6, 2026 — 11:21am , first published November 6, 2026 — 7:33am

A teacher at a Catholic college on Sydney’s upper north shore has been sacked after “deeply distressing” allegations of producing and possessing child abuse material.

Richard Kenneth Harman’s employment at St Leo’s Catholic College Wahroonga was terminated on Thursday, Catholic Schools Broken Bay said in a statement.

St Leo’s Catholic College says Harman is no longer employed at the Wahroonga school. Edwina Pickles

Harman, 61, appeared in court on Thursday afternoon charged with five counts of intentionally recording intimate image without consent, producing child abuse material and possessing child abuse material.

He was arrested on Tuesday after reports of child abuse material on electronic devices at a Hornsby home brought detectives to the address about noon.

One USB drive was allegedly found containing covertly filmed footage of females in public and in a school environment, police said in a statement.

Harman was taken…