South Yorkshire teacher with motor neurone disease "pulled a sickie" for pal's Portuguese stag do
In March this year Joe spoke with The Star about his MND diagnosis
A South Yorkshire teacher living with a motor neurone disease prognosis of two years "pulled a sickie" to go to Portugal for a friend's stag do, a tribunal has found.
Joe Wilson, 37, was diagnosed in October last year after noticing less stamina while playing football and feeling tired afterwards.
An electromyography test in hospital later confirmed what Joe already feared and he was told he had two years to live.
Mr Wilson, who was a primary school teacher for 13 years, was still teaching in November last year however finally called it a day while struggling to manage his symptoms at work in order to focus on slowing the symptoms down.
However a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) professional conduct report released this week has revealed when Mr Wilson was a Year 6 teacher at a previous school - Listerdale Junior Academy in Rotherham - he called in sick to join pals in the Portuguese capital on Thursday May 18 and Friday May 19 2023 .
The panel heard how he told the school on the morning of his flight that he had been "up all night being sick", continuing the ruse the next day, before returning to work on the Monday.
This week’s TRA report on the Lisbon getaway details how around 5am on May 18 2023, Mr Wilson messaged: "I'm not going to be in school today. I've been up all night being sick and have got a really bad headache."
The following day he told the same person: "I'm still no better so won't be in school today. Can't keep any food or water down. I'll keep you updated."
But an anonymous member of staff flagged photos of Mr Wilson in an airport with a pint of beer in his hand, the panel heard.
One of the photographs which featured him was posted by another person at 5.23am on the morning of May 18 2023 with the caption: "Early start for... stag do, few beers with the Portugal gaffer".
Mr Wilson originally claimed the photographs were taken from a previous trip, but later admitted to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) that he "agreed to attend a stag do in Lisbon " and he "made a huge error of judgement but (felt) the situation at the time influenced (him) to make this poor decision".
In March this year Mr Wilson spoke with The Star about his MND diagnosis and said that although her had accepted the disease he did not accept only having two years to live, adding: “I feel really good in myself.
“I was really young when I was diagnosed so my starting point is different. I’m positive and have accepted what I’ve got but I’ve not accepted that I’ve only got two years to live.”
Studies have shown some MND patients have lived for 20 years or longer with the condition and there are 47 confirmed MND reversals worldwide - where patients have experienced a significant or complete recovery of lost motor function.
“I’ll never stop hoping really,” said Mr Wilson.
“The way I’ve treated my body my whole life, I feel it’s not a foregone conclusion as the neurologists make out.”
The TRA panel report details how in October 2025 Mr Wilson "accepted full responsibility" for his actions, including "falsifying a sickness".
In February, he emailed the agency stating he "pulled a sickie to go on (his) mates stag do".
Mr Wilson also removed pages from his passport to hide that he had been away.
He told the TRA he "made a huge mistake of taking out a page of (his) passport" after "an informal chat with (his) headteacher" as she "encouraged (him) to show something 'to get them off my case'".
He also said he was "ashamed" of his actions.
An investigation report detailed Mr Wilson handed his passport to someone from the school in June 2023 and photocopies of the document revealed pages 9, 10, 27 and 28 were missing, according to the tribunal.
The panel found it proved that Mr Wilson was absent from school without a proper reason, reported to the school that he was absent because of sickness when that was not the case and removed pages from his passport which would have contained stamps showing he was out of the country on the dates in question.
"In falsely reporting his sickness absence and providing an altered document during an investigation, Mr Wilson was intentionally misleading the school and concealing the truth," the panel said in its judgment.
"The panel considered that Mr Wilson's behaviour fell below the ethical standards expected of a teacher and was contrary to the manner in which the profession professes to serve the public."
It also found his conduct lacked integrity, was dishonest, and that his actions may bring the profession into disrepute.
It was decided that a prohibition order, which would see Mr Wilson banned from teaching, was not proportionate but that publication of the findings would be enough.