Former Mont Albert Primary principal convicted over bullying campaign

A disgraced Mont Albert principal who ran a poison pen campaign that left her successor traumatised and crying in his sleep has ended her own career with her bullying tactics, a magistrate said.

Sharon Saitlik has been slapped with a two-year community corrections order. Picture: Josie Hayden

A disgraced former primary school principal has been slapped with a two-year community corrections order after stalking her successor in a bitter poison-pen campaign that left him traumatised.

Sharon Saitlik was convicted of stalking and handed the CCO following her bitter bullying campaign against a former colleague.

Saitlik, 50, was sentenced at the Ringwood Magistrates Court on November 25 for stalking her victim, fellow teacher Jason Walker, by sending him dozens of abusive letters over 12 months between June 2016 and August 2017, in which she called him “foolish” and criticised him for his lack of leadership.

Mr Walker replaced Saitlik as the principal of Mont Albert Primary School in April 2016 after she was promoted to a position in another area.

The letters, purportedly signed by frustrated anonymous parents, were first sent to Mr Walker at school and then to his home, and continued even after police arrested and interviewed Saitlik in July 2017.

Jason Walker was left traumatised by the hate campaign.

Saitlik initially denied sending the letters despite police finding her fingerprints on the sticky tape used to affix address labels.

But she changed her tune earlier this month when she pleaded guilty to the stalking charges.

An internal Department of Education probe sparked by the letters found no fault with Mr Walker’s performance.

Outside court Mr Walker told the Leader he was looking forward to “an end to all the lies”.

“As principals we commit ourselves personally to the job, so when I was attacked (with these letters), it was my personal self and my professional self that was coming under scrutiny,” he said.

“Unfortunately people believe the lies and the gossip.”

A victim impact statement read to the court last week noted the letters left Mr Walker suffering from anxiety and “emotionally spent” to the point his wife often found him curled in the foetal position unable to get ready for work.

He also frequently woke up in cold sweats, would cry in his sleep, started binge eating, withdrew from his family, including his young children, and experienced marital strain.

In sentencing Saitlik, Magistrate Nunzio La Rosa said she was until now a highly regarded principal who had received awards and had no history of prior offending.

He said she suffered “significant consequence” as a result of her crime and her highly decorated career as a teacher was over.

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“It is clear you’re a person of considerable talent in your chosen field … (but) this offending will put to an end your career,” he said.

He ordered her to undertake mental health treatment as part of her sentence and said she would be subject to judicial monitoring.

He also said he would have considered imposing a jail sentence had it not been for her early guilty plea.

Saitlik refused to comment outside court.