Community work for teacher who assaulted pupils

Linda McCall has been sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work

A teacher who assaulted five vulnerable children with severe learning difficulties has avoided jail.

Linda McCall, 60, committed the offences between 2016 and 2017 on pupils aged between five and seven.

She was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid community work at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Scottish Borders Council has set up an independent investigation to look into how it handled complaints about the teacher.

Sheriff Roderick Flinn told McCall that some physical handling of children with special needs was necessary.

However, he added that her conduct went beyond what was necessary or appropriate in the classroom situation.

'Still suffering'

He said he had taken into account that she had now retired after a 38-year teaching career and that she was a first time offender when he imposed an alternative to custody.

After the sentencing, one parent said she felt "quite upset" and "quite emotional" at the outcome which she described as "disgusting".

"It has been a long time to come but what she has been given I think is not right," she said.

"My son is still suffering for what she did to him, he is still emotionally scared.

"He cries all the time, I can't explain to him that it is never going to happen again."

Another parent said the outcome was "absolutely ridiculous" and said she could not see a point where she would be able to put the case behind her.

"I have got to live with the fact that my child - in his own unique ways - was trying to tell me that something wasn't right and I couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me," she said.

"I have got to live with the fact that I sent my child to school every day to be abused."

'Fully investigated'

A lawyer at Thompsons Solicitors, which represents the families of the children who were assaulted, said the public would be "aghast" that McCall had received a community sentence.

Marina Urie said the firm was now pursuing civil cases and had served Scottish Borders Council with legal papers.

She added: "The council should now apologise unreservedly to the families involved as they have not done so yet, and this is shameful.

"We welcome the independent inquiry which has been announced, but want the council's role to be fully investigated.

"The children were clearly failed by their teacher, but they were also failed by Scottish Borders Council."

The council said the safety and wellbeing of young people in the Scottish Borders was of the "utmost importance".

A spokesman said an independent inquiry into its handling of the case had now begun.

It said Andrew Webster QC, who was leading the investigation, would be in touch with individuals involved in due course but anyone wishing to contact the inquiry could email [e-mail].