The mother of an Aberdeenshire primary school pupil involved in an assault trial has said she “will not rest” until the teacher cleared of the charges is thrown off the register.
The 55-year old, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, was alleged to have attacked two boys over the course of 18 months.
It was claimed the woman had dragged one child across the floor leaving him with carpet burns. She was also said to have “launched” a child three or four feet across a classroom into a radiator.
The sheriff ruled there was no “evil intent” in the way she handled the pupils after hearing evidence the accused had used force with one of the children, who had severe learning disabilities, which was “proportionate” to the situation.
Sheriff Eric Brown said that handling a child “recklessly or accidentally” does not constitute an assault.
Now, however, the mum of one of the children involved in the trial is vowing she “will not rest until justice is done” and the woman involved “never teaches again”.
She said: “The decision was a big blow but I wouldn’t say I’m surprised…I saw that one coming.
“It was hard to hear.
“I’m going to make sure this woman never teaches again.”
The mother, who can’t be named, is scheduling a meeting with the procurator fiscal in a bid to push the Crown Office into appealing the verdict.
“My issues are mostly based on what they said about how my son came in to contact with the teacher and how it was not done intentionally.
“And secondly one of the pupil support assistants said she thought the contact was proportionate to how my child was behaving.
“I was also a bit concerned that the sheriff thought it okay for anybody to lay their hands on my child.”
Her scathing criticism of the way her complaint was handled means she will also seek an independent review into Aberdeenshire Council’s conduct throughout.
She added: “What I really need is for ex-pupils of hers with concerns over how she treated them or others to come forward.
“I am not going to back down with this and run away to cry in a corner. It’s my child that was hurt. He’s suffering from PTSD now and I will not rest until justice is done.”
Following the verdict an Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “We note the outcome of court proceedings and will now conclude our internal investigation on this matter. Liaison with the appropriate professional bodies is also ongoing.”
