Drunk teacher: I annoyed boy but I didn’t harm him
Pupil-kiss Miss makes tearful plea for classroom return
A TEACHER who kissed a pupil while drunk in a nightclub yesterday insisted she did the boy no lasting harm.
Ashley McConnell was found by a disciplinary panel to have kissed the 17-year-old and danced in a flirtatious way with him.
Now the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) must decide whether she is fit to stay on the teaching register.
The married mum broke down in tears yesterday as she admitted: “Did I annoy him that night? Yes, and was he the one who allegedly stopped the events? yes, but no I don’t think it caused him long lasting emotional damage.”
McConnell admitted holding hands with the boy, telling pupils to “f*** off ” and giving one girl the finger at Skinandi’s in the Highland town of Thurso in March 2018.
Physics teacher McConnell, who was 30 at the time, had gone out after a colleague’s 50th birthday party.
She was suspended from her job after pupils approached Thurso High School bosses and has not worked in a classroom for four years.
McConnell made a tearful plea to stay in teaching.
She told the hearing: “I realised that my conduct had fallen short. I don’t drink alcohol any more; perhaps if I hadn’t been drinking alcohol that night I wouldn’t be in the situation we are in.
“I feel a great deal of remorse and shame.
“Behaviour of this nature will never be repeated, I hope you will see that my conduct at the time was in stark contrast to my typical character. The risk of repetition is non-existent. My conduct in work was never questioned, I’ve taken all the steps that I can. I have made lots and lots of changes.”
The GTCS ruled there was enough evidence to prove McConnell kissed the boy but not that she touched him on the bottom or groin.
Teacher Leslie-Anne Wooles, a friend of McConnell, told the hearing yesterday: “The last time I saw her in person was at a wedding. It was a free bar with lots of alcohol and Ashley didn’t touch a single drop.”
The hearing continues.