A deputy headteacher has said that he will have to consider whether he returns to the role after he was cleared of slapping an ‘uncontrollable’ pupil.
More than a dozen supporters, including parents and teachers, cheered and applauded as Royden Cope walked free from Blackburn Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Cope, 62, of Hatfield Road, Accrington, who had been suspended from St Bartholomew’s Primary, Great Harwood, was found not guilty of common assault during a one-day trial.
After the hearing, when asked by the Observer whether he will be returning to the role, Mr Cope said: "I will have to consider it."
Speaking after the trial, his son Robin Cope said his father had been a well-respected figure at the school for decades.
He said: "My father has had overwhelming support from parents and staff. There is an issue here of unruly children when it comes to this where an experienced teacher is accused of such a thing. It has caused a lot of distress."
The prosecution claimed that the teacher had slapped the boy across the face while restraining him last March 3.
Neil White, prosecuting, claimed Mr Cope had lost his temper in a ‘moment of madness’ despite his ‘long and distinguished’ teaching career.
Mr White said another teacher had witnessed Mr Cope trying to restrain the youngster who was in the throws of a bad ‘tantrum’ and saw him hold the child by the wrists and slap him with his right hand.
In evidence, the teacher who witnessed the incident said he was certain Mr Cope had struck the boy and asked him: ‘do you want another one’? But Simon Farnsworth, defending, suggested it would have been impossible to hear anything clearly above the child, who was repeatedly screaming ‘get off’.
Giving evidence Mr Cope said he had never encountered a more disruptive child in his 41-year teaching career.
He said: "I have seen children similar but not quite as bad as this child. It’s probably the worst I have seen." Mr Cope said there had been several occasions when the pupil had been sent to his classroom to ‘calm down’.
He said he had taken the child to his classroom on the day in question adding that the youngster had screamed ‘get off’ up to 100 times, rocked and shook his head from side to side and tried to free himself from Mr Cope’s restraint.
Mr Cope told the court the pupil’s face had been bright red and his eyes were ‘screwed up’ during the incident, which lasted about two minutes.
He said: "I put my hand to the side of his head and he slammed his head into it. There was contact between my hand and his head."
He added: "He works himself up into an incandescent rage but having dealt with him before I knew this was all bluster and eventually he would calm down. You just have to be calm and firm.
Mr Cope denied the prosecution’s claim that he had lost his temper in ‘a moment of madness’, adding ‘I don’t lose my temper’. Mr Cope’s evidence was supported in court by former detective constable, Parents Teachers and Friends Association member and school governor James Aldcorn. Mr Aldcorn, whose two children were taught by Mr Cope, said he always found the defendant to be an enthusiastic teacher and reliable member of staff. He said: "I couldn’t believe he could be responsible for an incident of this nature."
Former head teacher Graham Boys said his colleague of 21 years always worked with professionalism ‘of the highest standard’.
He added: "He was an example to the other teachers. The school functions well and a lot of that was down to Roy’s work in school."
A spokesman for the Lancashire Local Education Authority (LEA) said: "The teacher was suspended when the allegations first came to light.
The headteacher will decide on how to proceed when he returns from holiday. He will decide how to proceed in consultation with HR advisers from the LEA."
