Schoolboy attacked teacher like a ‘ragdoll’ and left her permanently disfigured

A teenager who attacked a teacher and said ‘the stupid cow deserves it’ has been spared prison.

Carol Shaw, who worked at St Paul’s Academy in Dundee, was seriously injured after Keiran Matthew grabbed her and dumped her head-first on a concrete floor.

She was knocked unconscious after being thrown ‘like a ragdoll’ to the ground, and left lying in a pool of her own blood while Matthew played on his phone and put his feet up on another teacher’s desk.

Matthew, who was 17 at the time of the attack but is now 18, walked free from court after his sentence fell within Scottish rules on avoiding short-term prison sentences for first offenders.

The attack happened after Matthew refused to get changed separately from other pupils for a PE class.

The measure had been agreed by Matthew, his foster mum and the school because of his previous aggression towards other pupils.

But on March 22 of last year he became ‘agitated and heightened’ over his separation from other pupils, so Ms Shaw was called in because she was deemed a ‘safe’ person for him and had successfully de-escalated volatile incidents.

Two other teachers and pupils were placed in a locked classroom away from Matthew, but Fiscal depute Laura Bruce told the court: ‘The accused then realised they had gone to the ICT class and moved towards the door and said “I’m f****** going in there too”.

‘He tried to exit to the corridor where Ms Shaw had her back to him.

‘She recalls him gripping her in a rugby-style grip with her arms pinned to her sides and the next thing she felt was the horrific impact of her head striking the floor.

‘She was blinded by her own blood, which covered her face and top with a large amount of blood seen on the floor.

‘Another teacher had witnessed the accused lift her completely off her feet, throwing her to the floor deliberately and landing head-first.

‘Another said she appeared to be like a ragdoll flying through the air.

‘The accused sat at a teacher’s desk, with his feet on the desk and using his mobile phone.

‘He told a teacher “Sir, it wasn’t an outburst of anger. She deserved it”.’

He later banged on the desk and said: ‘The stupid cow deserved it.’

A colleague took Ms Shaw to hospital due to an expected 20-minute wait for an ambulance.

She suffered concussion, was unable to finish sentences, and was given 10 stitches, leaving her with a large Y-shaped scar on her head.

Plastic surgeon Dr Ketki Kaushal said the assault could have been life-threatening.

Matthew pled guilty to seizing the teacher’s neck and body, throwing her to the floor, causing her to strike her head and be rendered unconscious.

He admitted the assault was to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and the danger of her life.

Matthew, who has ADHD and an ‘extremely low’ IQ range between 47 and 59, said ‘I am sorry’ when he was cautioned and charged with the assault.

Solicitor Theo Finlay, defending, said: ‘He has had longstanding issues managing his emotions. It is likely he was already in a heightened condition. He experiences nightmares and requires to be medicated.

‘That is attributed to childhood abuse. He needs prompts to eat and struggles in noisy or busy environments. He was not being allowed into the changing room and had feelings of unfairness.

‘He described becoming agitated. The teacher moved others away, which made him feel more agitated and singled out. At school he felt intensely disliked and frequently provoked by his peers.’

Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith said the assault merited 18 months in prison, but this was reduced for an early guilty plea.

The sentence then fell within Scottish sentencing rules on avoiding short sentences for first offenders, meaning Matthew was able to walk free from court.

He was placed under social work supervision for three years and ordered to attend courses including one for anger management.

Matthew was also placed on a Restriction of Liberty Order for 12 months between 9pm and 7am every night.

Sheriff Niven-Smith said: ‘It is difficult to imagine a more serious assault, having regard to the consequences of your attack for Ms Shaw.

‘It is not over-egging the pudding or exaggerating to say your attack has affected her life in every aspect.

‘She is permanently disfigured. Photos show an extensive, significant scar on her head.

‘Until her promotion, she was the safe person for you to seek sanctuary with if you felt overwhelmed. She has dedicated her life to vulnerable school children such as you.

‘You have robbed her of her career as she has been unable to go back to school due to panic attacks, nightmares and night terrors as a result of this assault.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.