Staff acquitted of cruelty towards vulnerable pupils
TWO members of staff at a special school have been acquitted of ill-treating vulnerable pupils in their care.
Teacher Laura Murphy and teaching assistant Mandy Hodges were accused of a total of seven counts of cruelty and assault involving three children at the Park Lane special school in Aberdare, a school which caters for pupils aged three to 19 with a range of special educational and learning needs.
The allegations revolved around the way Murphy and Hodges dealt with three pupils in the school yard over a two-day period in October 2020.
The defendants were accused of manhandling children and removing ear defenders from a severely autistic child as a form punishment.
The defendants denied doing anything wrong, saying their actions were aimed at de-escalating ongoing situations, and were on trial at Swansea Crown Court.
As part of the trial jurors were shown the CCTV footage of the alleged incidents from cameras in the school playground.
Murphy, aged 33, of Gwendoline Terrace, Abercynon, was found not guilty of the three counts she was facing – two counts of assault by beating, and one count of wilfully ill-treating a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or harm.
Hodges, aged 50, of Pleasant Street, Pentre, Treorchy, was found not guilty of the four counts she was facing – two counts of assault by beating, and two count of wilfully ill-treating a child in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or harm.
The jury deliberated for three hours and 54 minutes in coming to its verdicts.
During the trial, issues were raised about the level and type of training both members of staff had received at the school, especially in regard to children with severe autism and sensory processing disorder.
Speaking after the verdicts, Judge Geraint Walters said he was impressed by the “obvious commitment and concern” shown by the parents of the children at the centre of the case who fell “hurt and let down”.
He said having heard the evidence in the case, he found nothing untoward with the way the school operated but he said with the benefit of hindsight he questioned the wisdom of moving the defendants into the roles they held, roles which required experience of dealing with children with particular needs and behaviours.