Scarborough science teacher ‘pushed girl, 15, to the floor’

William Stuart, 47, a teacher at Graham School in Scarborough, was arrested days after the alleged assault with the “rude and defiant” pupil and is currently suspended.

A trial at Scarborough Magistrates Court heard from the schoolgirl who said she was left with reddening to her back and arm after an altercation with the teacher during a lunch break at the school.

Prosecuting, Jessica Strange said Stuart, of Scarborough, had assaulted the teenager after she had left the canteen on March 21 this year.

The youngster’s friends had smeared food on a wall, but because she claimed she was not involved she ignored his request to remain in the canteen.

Miss Strange said: “The defendant followed her into a corridor. By this stage he was very angry, and grabbed her by the arm from behind with such force she fell to the floor.

“She says he pulled her back up and pushed her backwards into coat pegs near a changing room. She managed to get away from the pegs but he hit her again in the back before she ran away down the corridor.

“Two pupils witnesses who saw part of this assault were told by the defendant to write out school statements, and when he disagreed with what they had written he tried to get them to change these statements.

“When the girl was in the school office and wanted to phone her mum to tell her what happened, the defendant would not allow it.”

The girl went home for the day and returned to lessons later in the week, but five days later when she and her mother became dissatisfied with the school’s response, she called police.

Giving evidence via video link, the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, remained largely calm and composed as she explained that one of her friends had smeared icing from a sticky bun on a wall, and when the group went to leave she heard Stuart shouting “get back into the hall you three.”

The girl, who is slimly built and around five feet tall, said: “I turned round and said, ‘No I’m not coming back because I’m not involved’ and I walked away. He was already really angry and really loud.

“Mr Stuart told my friends to go, it was clear he wanted to approach me. He said, ‘How dare you walk away from me’. I continued to walk away from him and went up some stairs. He was coming up behind me quite fast, he was still angry and shouting.

“He came up beside me, put his arm on the bannister and wouldn’t let me get past. I turned to get away, but he kept trying to get in front of me to block my path. He was still shouting, ‘Stop, don’t walk away from me’.

“I was scared because he wasn’t shouting like a teacher, collected and calm, trying to get the situation under control. He was out of control like a man in the street shouting to another man.

“I got up the stairs ahead of him and went along a corridor, then he lunged at me with his hand, grabbed my upper right arm and pulled me towards him. I spun round, hit a wall and fell down.

“I was shocked because I know teachers aren’t supposed to make that sort of contact with a student. I felt scared and wanted to get away. He then grabbed my right arm again and forced me to my feet. It wasn’t to help me to my feet, it was to pull me up to his level and continue shouting at me. He used force and aggression.

“We were facing each other and he grabbed my shoulders and pushed me backwards into coat pegs. It really hurt my back when I hit the pegs. I said, ‘What are you doing? Get off me’ and I swore at him’.

“Some girls had seen this and shouted to him, ‘What are you doing? Get off her’.

I used my hand to push him out of the way, he shoved me again and I ran away. I got downstairs and told my friend, ‘Mr Stuart has just hit me, I’m going to get my mum’.”

She claimed that in the school office she was crying when Stuart returned “waving” copies of the school’s incident slips, and said, “Don’t let her ring her mum, fill in these slips.” The youngster then left school for the day and was eventually taken home by her mother.

She said she was left with red marks on her lower and upper back, and right arm the size of 50 pence pieces, but these had apparently faded when police examined her five days later.

Defending, Ian Glen QC accused the girl of having a reputation for being “rude and defiant” to staff at the school and said she had also been involved in a playground fight. School logs had recorded several incidents of her being rude to teachers.

He asked her: “You’re telling lies about the incident and exaggerating grossly aren’t you?”

She replied: “No.”

He continued: “You decided not to cooperate with Mr Stuart and you’ve got form for being defiant. You were out of control that day with anger and defiance weren’t you?”

She replied: “No.”

The girl briefly wiped tears from her eyes towards the end of the cross-examination.

Stuart, who is slim and around six feet tall, denies assault. He had never directly taught a lesson to the complainant.

The trial continues.