Monday 19 March 2012

Taking ‘Identifying With Your Pupils’ A Little Too Far…

Katrina Mann, 49, principal of a teaching centre in Dagenham for students expelled from other schools, was held by officers with fellow teacher Darren McCarthy, 38, outside Barking railway station after missing the last train home.

The pair have been charged with being drunk and disorderly in a public place and using threatening words and behaviour.
Oooops!
A spokesman for Barking and Dagenham council said they had both been suspended from work pending the outcome of the court case and a disciplinary investigation.
The latter, presumably, awaiting the outcome of the former?
The pair, who denied the charges at Redbridge magistrates’ court last month, will be tried by magistrates in Havering on March 27. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 12 months’ jail or a £10,000 fine.

Ms Mann, who lives in a large Victorian property in a quiet road in Hornchurch, Essex, and Mr McCarthy, who lives in a flat in Walthamstow, were both released on unconditional bail.
So….just who missed the last train home, then? Since they were going in opposite directions?
When contacted by the Standard they refused to comment about the alleged incident in Station Parade late on January 26. But a friend of the pair said: “It’s all been blown out of proportion and as a result the school is having to operate without two dedicated members of staff.”
Mmmm, definitely one to watch. One thing I do know; Barking Stn is very well served by CCTV.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm, let me see... a man, a woman, and one bed mussed up instead of two, perhaps? Plus a sprinkling of alcohol to make the snuggling more acceptable?

Not that I know anything about this sort of thing, of course...

Clarissa said...

Seeing as the time between their last trains is about 90mins (2347 to Walthamstow and 0114 to Hornchurch), I can only assume that he missed his train and she was offering him a bed for the night.

Anonymous said...

I'm rather in favour of people letting their hair down from time to time. I'm not sure we should carp when it goes a little bit wrong.

JuliaM said...

"Not that I know anything about this sort of thing, of course..."

;)

".. I can only assume that he missed his train and she was offering him a bed for the night."

Or, perhaps she pointedly wasn't, and that sparked the argument?

"I'm rather in favour of people letting their hair down from time to time."

Me too, so long as they don't frighten the horses. Or whatever else is brave enough to venture onto Barking's streets after dark.

James Higham said...

Tell you, that will do wonders for their street cred in their field.