Cops get confession statement from teacherBy NALINEE SEELAL Friday, January 27 2012
click on pic to zoom in
Martin Blackman, son of the school's principal Arlene Blackman, speaks on his cellular phone at the school. ...
POLICE probing a report that a schoolteacher at Blackman’s Private School in Maraval placed the head of an eight-year-old school boy in a toilet and flushed it at the school’s compound on Monday afternoon have reportedly obtained a confession statement from a teacher.
Police sources revealed yesterday that the teacher spent several hours at the St Clair Police Station on Tuesday afternoon where a statement was given confessing to placing the student’s head in the toilet bowl and flushing it.
Minister of Education Dr Tim Gopeesingh immediately ordered a probe and said disciplinary action would be taken. Minister of Gender Affairs, Child Development and Youth, Verna St Rose-Greaves, said she would carry out her own investigations and offered support to the family.
The story was exclusively reported by Newsday yesterday. Sources revealed that in the statement to the police the teacher reportedly admitted to doing the same thing to another student of the school but that student was not identified.
The parents of that child have not come forward or reported the matter to the police. However, following the confession statement given by the teacher to Woman Police Corporal Ferrette at the St Clair Police Station on Tuesday, police officers cautioned the teacher following which Justice of the Peace Marissa Singh, authenticated the statement.
Police officers also interviewed Kaya Rullow, the student who was the alleged victim of the assault who was accompanied to the station by his mother. The boy who is a standard three student of Blackman’s Private School was taken back to his school’s compound on Tuesday where he pointed to the toilet where his head was placed in a toilet bowl and flushed. He was also medically examined at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and a medical report submitted to Ferrette.
Police sources revealed that Ferrette has to seek permission from the lone eyewitness to the incident before a statement is recorded from him. The boy who was also subjected to the same flushing of his head in the toilet bowl never told his parents about the incident but instead informed other classmates about what had transpired and this resulted in him and Rullow being taunted and called “toilet boys”.
Newsday understands that after the eyewitness is interviewed Ferrette will then submit a file to the Senior Superintendent of the Port-of-Spain Division for directions in the matter. Education Minister Tim Gopeesingh told Newsday yesterday that he has instructed that investigations begin immediately in the matter.
He said the principal of the school Arlene Blackman, 67, as well as the school supervisor for the area will report to the Chief Education Officer Sharon Mangroo to give an account of the incident. Gopeesingh described the incident as totally unacceptable.
“This type of behaviour by teachers cannot be tolerated and disciplinary action has to be taken,” he said. Gopeesingh said it was unfortunate that the ministry had to learn about the incident through the media.
“It is unacceptable and it shows that the school supervisors are not doing their work properly. The school supervisor has to be held accountable because if an incident occurs on the same day a report should be submitted to the ministry and it is clear, that is not happening,” he said.
St Rose-Greaves, yesterday vowed to do her own probe of the incident .
She told yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre that she had not yet got details of the incident. “I have not seen the report unfortunately. I don’t have the details. One of my officers is trying currently to get some background on that,” said St Rose-Greaves.
“Any incident like that is unfortunate, and I’m sure it would have been reported to the authorities, and whatever action is necessary will be taken. From where I am, I am going to have my own investigation and do whatever we can whether it is to support the family, to help the child over this, to make some intervention in the school, to get to the bottom of what’s been happening.”
Police officers of the St Clair Police Station were informed on Monday afternoon by Parvar Rullow, the child’s father that when he went to pick up his son at the school the child told him that his head was placed in a toilet bowl and flushed.
The disturbed father made an official report to the St Clair police and this prompted a police investigation into the matter. Yesterday at Blackman’s private school classes were not disrupted, but the principal was reportedly not at school when Newsday visited. However, Martin Blackman, son of the principal said the matter was now engaging the attention of lawyers and was at a sensitive stage and he preferred that lawyers communicate with the press on the matter.
He promised that a statement on the incident would be released yesterday afternoon but up to press time this was not forthcoming. When Newsday spoke with parents collecting their children yesterday afternoon they said their children did not inform them about the incident and neither were they briefed by the principal of the school.
Young Rullow, who is an American citizen has been deeply affected by the incident but according to his father is a strong boy. Newsday understands that an official report on the incident is to be made to the American Embassy on Marli Street, Port-of-Spain.
