Prison teacher’s job threat
A teacher jailed for contempt of court in a heavily criticised sentence could now be banned from the classroom.
Alleged domestic abuse victim Donna Kiddie was found guilty after refusing to testify against her husband at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last month.
Kiddie, who is a biology teacher at St Ninian’s High School in Giffnock, Glasgow, sobbed, “Oh no, I have babies” as she was locked up for 14 days while her husband walked free.
The mum-of-two appealed against her conviction and sentence with a date set for September 20 at the Sheriff Appeal Court in Edinburgh but she could now also face a hearing by the General Teaching Council for Scotland.
When a registered teacher is convicted of an offence, the GTCS are automatically informed by the court or the police and launch their own probe.
An investigating panel then decides whether or not to refer the case to a Fitness to Teach Panel for a hearing.
A spokesman for the GTCS said they couldn’t comment on individual cases but added: “Our barometer is whether someone is fit to teach.”
Kiddie was sentenced by Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane after she said she couldn’t swear her husband Jonathan Kiddie, a partner in a law firm, had hit her.
He was charged with domestic assault after allegations he struck the 40-year-old on the head at their home in Dalry, Ayrshire, in May.
The mum-of-two spent four nights in jail before her solicitor lodged an appeal.
The sentence has been condemned by women’s rights group and domestic violence campaigners.