Courts wrong to punish teachers who tackle young yobs

DOESN’T the case of teacher Dean MacFarlane being 
given a community sentence for retaliating against a 12-year-old yob prove how unjust our legal system is, especially as he might lose his job because of it (Yorkshire Post, July 27)?

No doubt the kids involved 
are whooping with joy at 
scoring one over on ‘Sir’: however I doubt that ‘Sir’ is even in 
their vocabulary, given that they seem quite able to run amok in the neighbourhood causing trouble.

It appears that once again the magistrates of Barnsley fell for the same old plea from defence that the lad was only a poor little 
child having a harmless joke 
and he certainly shouldn’t 
have been assaulted at any cost. What tosh!

What I’d like to question is how this came to court – no doubt it was down to the allegedly “aggrieved” parents (who apparently have no control whatsoever over their offspring) involving the police, failing to even perceive that when out of sight their beloved little brats can even push a teacher to the brink.

In my day, the lads concerned would have been taken home to their parents by the police and they would have received a damned good tongue-lashing, if not worse. Sadly these days it seems that ignorant and bad behaviour is condoned and upheld by the judicial system, and that in this case the true victim – Dean MacFarlane – has suffered as a result.

Quite frankly the magistrates should have dismissed this case as a waste of taxpayers’ money, and in fact should have reprimanded the parents for not exercising proper parental control, and also for bringing up tiresome little brats!

From: Robert Dring, Keal Cotes, Spilsby, Lincs.

A TEACHER has been ordered to carry out 100 hours of community work after a momentary loss of self-control with yobs who had persistently made life miserable for local people. Now he waits to hear whether he will lose his livelihood.

We all know we should not take the law into our own hands, but did those in whose hands responsibility legally resides (i.e. police, parents) ever take effective action against these feral youths? I suspect we all know the answer.

From: Barbara J Harrison, Parkside Avenue, Queensbury, Bradford.

REgarding the case involving Dean McFarlane, can I ask what punishment was meted out to the yobs concerned? I note that there is a flood of support for the teacher from pupils and staff – may I add my name to this support?