Father quizzed over his choice of T-shirt for parents’ evening
A FATHER was visited by police after he joked about wearing a ‘threatening’ Tshirt to a parents’ evening.
Two officers turned up at Martin Gillingham’s door to investigate after he shared the image with friends on Facebook.
The 47-year-old claims his children’s school reported the picture after he clashed with teachers he says took his dyslexic son out of lessons during an Ofsted inspection. Mr Gillingham posted the picture of the shirt slogan that read: ‘I may seem calm and reserved, but if you mess with my kids I will break out a level of craziness that will make your nightmares seem like a happy place.’ Underneath the post, he wrote: ‘I think I might wear this to the next parents’ evening.’
He said last night: ‘I posted this picture of a T- shirt as a laugh. I thought it was quite humorous, and having had trouble with the school before I added the comment. The complaint was that it was a threatening message, and had pictures of guns on it.
‘The police officer wouldn’t tell me who had made the complaint, but I think it was a teacher at my children’s school. The officer came across as apologetic.
‘I understand it’s normal police procedure so they have to investigate it, but even the officer who visited me told me he thought it was nothing more than banter.’
Mr Gillingham lives in Westbury, Wiltshire, with his wife Lisa, 47, and their five children, Jordan, 21, Joseph, 16, Jamie, 15, Samuel, 11, and Bethany, seven. He claims the problems with Matravers School in Westbury began when the school decided to ‘hide away’ Jamie during an Ofsted visit in February.
Simon Riding, headmaster of Matravers School, last night said that he was not prepared to comment on the claims, adding: ‘As a school it is vitally important that we focus our time on the education of our students.’
A Wiltshire Police spokesman said that the matter would not be taken further.