‘Technical assault’ ends teacher’s career

A respected teacher’s long career has come to a sudden end after he admitted assaulting a 12-year-old boy at a Christchurch high school.

Gerard Francis Greenlees, 57, has given a voluntary undertaking to the Education Council he will no longer teach.

He was a relieving teacher at St Thomas of Canterbury College when the October 16 incident happened.

At his Christchurch District Court sentencing yesterday, Judge Jane Farish convicted and discharged Greenlees, saying his situation was ‘‘sad for you and for the community’’. Male teachers were hard to find.

Defence counsel Craig Ruane said the incident happened when a group of ‘‘troublemakers’’ were being moved along.

As the group was going through some firestop swing doors, Greenlees wanted to separate the boy from the others to speak to him. He grabbed him by his backpack.

‘‘That’s when things began to go awry,’’ Ruane said.

The backpack strap broke and the boy fell between the doors as they were closing. One of the witnesses said Greenlees then pushed the boy to try to stop him being trapped between the doors.

The boy’s mother told The Press her son had bruises and scrapes on his knees from the fall and hit his head. He was left in tears. She lodged a complaint with police.

Ruane acknowledged it was ‘‘a technical assault’’.

‘‘It was a relatively minor assault, which has had consequences far beyond what could reasonably be anticipated . . . not least of which is that his career is at an end.

‘‘He has been a well respected, longterm relieving teacher.’’

Greenlees had also admitted assaulting a teenage boy more than 15 years ago.

On January 16 2001, Greenlees, then 41, was discharged without conviction under section 19 of the Criminal Justice Act, after pleading guilty to assaulting the son of a woman he was seeing on December 15.

At the time, district court Judge Colin Doherty described the incident as ‘‘more than a technical assault’’ although it had not involved slaps or punches. He said Greenlees restrained the teenage boy, a former pupil of his at Christ’s College, to make him remain and take part in a discussion about his life.

But yesterday, Judge Farish told Greenlees it was ‘‘unusual to see someone of your calibre before the court’’.

She said the boy had not particularly enjoyed school.

He transferred to another school because he felt he was ‘‘talked about’’.

The consequences for Greenlees were significant, because he handed in his teaching certificate.

‘‘You have an otherwise impeccable character and you are very remorseful for the consequences in relation to this young man.

‘‘It is a significant loss to the teaching community and to the young people whose lives I am sure you have had a positive impact on,’’ the judge said.

She ordered Greenlees to pay $60 for damage to the boy’s backpack and $150 in emotional harm reparation.

‘‘Hopefully, with his mother’s assistance, he can put that towards something productive rather than something trivial.’’

Greenlees admitted the charge of assaulting a child.

The boy was not at court, but his parents and family members were present.

After the sentencing, Greenlees said it was a fair outcome ‘‘given the balance of the things that went on’’.

It had been hard giving up teaching, the commerce teacher said.

‘‘It’s the consequence of what happened, and I was prepared for that consequence.’’

It would be ‘‘good to make a good, clean rewind’’. While he would not admit to his future plans, he is mentioned as a University of Canterbury finance tutor on its website.