Evening Telegraph (First Edition)

Ex-postie grabbed schoolboy’s hood

- BY PAUL MALIK

A FORMER postal worker assaulted a child at a Dundee school after the boy allegedly called him “a d***head”.

Allan Walker, 41, was admonished by Sheriff Robert More following a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court.

He was cleared of one charge of assaulting a child after pleading guilty to assaulting a second by grabbing his hood.

Sheriff More heard evidence from the complainer in the first charge, as well as Walker and other parents who witnessed the assault, which took place in February 2022.

The father of two admitted “from the beginning” grabbing the second child by the hood to remonstrat­e with him after he had apparently been taunted by the seven-year-olds in the playground.

To protect the identity of both children, the school cannot be named.

Defence solicitor Kevin Hampton said his client had accepted responsibi­lity from the outset.

“He is a grown man, he should never have allowed himself to do that.

“He has no previous conviction­s, he is anxious to put this all behind him. He is sorry.

“He is not used to being in the court. He was a postal worker for 10 years.”

Walker has no previous conviction­s or outstandin­g matters.

He admitted grabbing a child by the hood on February 10 2022 at a city primary school.

He has lost his employment as a mail delivery worker for Royal Mail in the interim.

The admonishme­nt means the guilty plea will remain on his record, but he will receive no additional punishment.

Sheriff More said the events had been “contextual­ised” by the evidence he had considered.

He added: “The accused is 41. This is his only conviction.

“In my view it is a mistake.

“(He is of) impeccable character and this is an isolated event.

“In the circumstan­ces he is admonished.”

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