Private School Head Admits Pupil Assault

Hendon Magistrates Court

The head teacher of a £6,855 per year private north London primary school has admitted assaulting a Year Six pupil when disciplining him over an incident two days earlier when the boy was playing football.

However, Martyn Keane, 68, of Shrublands Road, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire is disputing the prosecution version of the events and will return to court for a one-and-a-half day Newton Hearing to determine the facts.

He pleaded guilty at Hendon Magistrates Court to assaulting the boy on September 30 at the school, which cannot be identified, and will return on February 19 when the pupil and other witnesses will give evidence.

The court heard Keane entered the classroom the boy was in and grabbed hold of him by the knot of his tie and pulled him.

The youngster fell and struck his head on another pupil's shoulder before falling forward and striking the desk in front of him.

Keane claims he did nothing more than poke the boy's shoulder, causing him to stumble into the other pupil.

On October 6 Keane had a meeting with the boy's parents and denied the pupil's version of events and he was later arrested and questioned by police and charged on November 19.

The court made a Contempt of Court Order under Section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act prohibiting publication of information that could lead to the identity of the victim, any other children and the school.