Sports coach drew penis on pupil's face at special needs school he worked at

Elliott Millar was jailed aft helium admitted assaulting 3 pupils astatine Life Wirral, a sports schoolhouse for pupils with peculiar acquisition needs including autism and ADHD

A PE teacher astatine a peculiar needs schoolhouse has been jailed aft his "cruel bullying" of pupils was revealed by an undercover reporter.

Elliott Millar pleaded blameworthy to assaulting 3 pupils astatine Life Wirral, a sports schoolhouse for pupils with peculiar acquisition needs including autism and ADHD. The tribunal heard footage was passed to Merseyside Police aft undercover newsman Sasha Hinde spent the 7 weeks starring up to May 24 arsenic an worker astatine the school.

The footage was besides aired arsenic portion of a BBC Panorama documentary. The tribunal heard successful 1 incident, captured connected film, 21-year-old Millar pulled backmost a child's caput and drew a penis connected his face.

Footage showing the incident, successful a classroom, was played to the tribunal and a woman, described arsenic "management", was seen to locomotion past arsenic it took place.

In a connection work to the court, the unfortunate said helium had been "embarrassed" successful beforehand of his classmates. He enactment 2 pupils into headlocks and besides feigned a punch and footwear astatine 1 of them, the tribunal heard.

In a statement, the household of 1 of the 3 boys assaulted by Millar said: "Even though helium was mistreated badly, helium thought it was the norm."

Sentencing Millar to 12 weeks successful situation astatine Liverpool Magistrates' Court, District Judge James Hatton said: "This is simply a serious, but I judge unusual, lawsuit due to the fact that it was brought to airy by an probe by an undercover reporter.

"One tin lone speculate if that probe had not occurred whether the behaviour demonstrated successful this lawsuit whitethorn good person carried connected unabated." He added: "It would beryllium evident to anyone that your behaviour was hideously inappropriate and thing abbreviated of cruel bullying. You were intelligibly successful a presumption of trust. One lawsuit progressive you drafting a penis onto the look of a pupil. That progressive gratuitous degradation of your victim."

Millar was besides charged with communal battle against Ms Hinde, erstwhile the tribunal heard they were successful the staffroom and helium re-enacted thing which had happened.

Anthony Nelson, defending, said Millar had ADHD himself and was "utterly inappropriate" for his relation astatine the school. He said: "He was interviewed by the main precise informally and started enactment the adjacent time and had nary grooming oregon guidance. It does not excuse his conduct, but possibly explains it." He said the behaviour was "endemic" and "the norm" astatine the school, which has closed since the documentary aired.

Millar, of Bradman Close, Liscard, Wirral, showed nary emotion arsenic helium was jailed. He pleaded blameworthy astatine an earlier proceeding to 2 counts of communal assault, 2 counts of battle by beating and utilizing threatening/abusive words/behaviour apt to origin harassment, alarm oregon distress.