Teacher pleads guilty to ‘pushing’ private school student with foot
A former private school teacher has pleaded guilty to pushing a student with his foot, saying ‘whoop’ and walking away laughing, a court was told.
Gold Coast
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A private school teacher who used his foot to push a child on the back while she was picking up rubbish from a garden bed, laughed as he walked away from the incident, a court has been told.
Travis Ronald Templar claims that at the time he thought he was having “friendly banter” with the student and actually said “whoop” when he pushed the child.
Templar was placed on a $1000 good behaviour for six months when he appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday. No conviction was recorded.
The assault left the girl “shaky” and “anxious”. She told police she “never thought a teacher would have the guts to do that.”
Templar was working at AB Patterson College on October 11 last year when he asked a girl to pick up bread crusts she had thrown down in a garden bed.
As she did so, the 41-year-old used his foot to push on the girl’s lower back, sending her sprawling into the garden bed.
The girl initially thought it was her friend.
When the friend said it was Templar, the teacher blamed the friend and walked away laughing.
Templar has since lost his job at the school, the court was told on Monday. He pleaded guilty to one count of common assault.
Prosecutor Gavin Reece read to the court sections of the girl’s statement to police given two weeks after the incident.
“After the incident then the bell rang to go back to next class… because I kinda just wanted to forget about it because I had maths next up,” she said.
“I never thought a teacher would have the guts to do that.”
Mr Reece said the girl reported she was “shaky” and “anxious” following the assault.
“It makes me really anxious if I see him, because he lives on the Gold Coast, because he lives near where I live,” Mr Reece read from the statement.
Mr Reece said any punishment needed to be in line with community expectations.
He said the principal of the school told police there had never been any other prior incidents with the teacher in question and that he was in line for promotion.
Magistrate Jane Bentley said: “There is not doubt your behaviour was inappropriate but I accept it was not committed out of malice or anger.”
She said she accepted the references tendered that described Templar as an “exemplary” teacher who was up for promotion.
Magistrate Bentley also accepted his friends had described him as a “larrikin” who did a lot of work for charity.
“I accept that you have been devastated by this incident… you have been described as completely crushed, depressed, unable to sleep,” she said.
Defence lawyer Daniel Hua said Templar had misread the situation.
“When he did it he actually made the sound ‘whoop’… he misread it and thought they were having a playful exchange,” Mr Hua said.
Mr Hua said the “last thing” Templar wanted to do was hurt a student.
“He accepts his actions were entirely inappropriate,” he said.
Mr Hua said Templar admitted his actions the day after the incident when asked about it by the school.
He was immediately stood down and later his employment was terminated.
Mr Hua said Templar had since started work teaching at a trade college.
A letter of apology was tendered to the court and 15 character references.
Mr Hua said the references described Templar as an “excellent” teacher.
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Originally published as Teacher pleads guilty to ‘pushing’ private school student with foot
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