Teacher who hit disabled boy is free
A former vice-principal of a special school got away with a slap on the wrist for hitting a mentally-disabled pupil with a hosepipe.
|||Cape Town - A Cape Town teacher got away with a slap on the wrist after admitting she hit a mentally disabled pupil with a hosepipe.
Former vice-principal Felicia Wenn was handed a suspended sentence at the Parow Regional Court on Wednesday.
The 57-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
She admitted to beating then seven-year-old Lee-Hagen Dolf at the St John’s Special School in Montana.
The epileptic learner came home in May 2013 with 17 black and blue lashes across his lower body, telling his parents Wenn had hit him with a plastic pipe.
Two months later, Wenn resigned from the school after the Department of Education charged her with serious misconduct.
In a plea explanation submitted to the court, Wenn said on the day of the incident she had been called to Lee-Hagen’s classroom by his teacher after he allegedly hit and pushed another learner off a wheelchair.
She said the boy was screaming, gripping a desk and refused to leave the classroom.
Wenn said: “I tried to [get] close to him, he kicked towards me and screamed loud.
“I did not know what else to do as I had to remove Lee-Hagen from the classroom, I then picked up a thin plastic pipe and hit Lee-Hagen on his legs so that he could let go from the table.
“I admit that my actions were wrongful and irresponsible and take full responsibility for my conduct.”
Magistrate Van Zyl sentenced Wenn to two years in jail, suspended for three years.
After court, Lee-Hagen’s grandmother, Lucinda Dolf, said the boy, who will be 10 next month, still remembers the incident.
Dolf said: “He will act out now and again and re-enact what happened that day. I don’t think he will ever forget it.
“All we want now is a public apology from her.”
Daily Voice