A violent school attack that left a teacher disfigured and lying unconscious in a pool of her own blood has ended without a jail sentence for the teenager responsible.
Eighteen-year-old Kieran Matthew seized his teacher, Carol Shaw, in what witnesses described as a “rugby-style grip” and slammed her head-first onto the concrete floor at St Paul’s Academy in Dundee.
The brutal assault, which took place on March 22 of last year, caused a severe head injury and left the teacher with permanent scars.
“He walked free!?” a reader wrote. “And then they wonder why more people don’t want to become a teacher.”
Student who permanently disfigured teacher was spared jail—he was ordered to do social work instead
Image credits: Taylor Flowe (Not the actual photo)
Despite the seriousness of his offense, Matthew was spared a custodial sentence, instead being placed under a three-year social work supervision order.
According to Fiscal Deputy Laura Bruce, the incident began when Matthew became increasingly agitated after refusing to follow an agreed measure to change for physical education class in a separate room.
The measure was taken specifically due to his history of aggression, presumably due to previous incidents with his classmates.
Image credits: Google Maps
Ms. Shaw was called to defuse the situation, having previously been regarded as a “safe” adult for the teen. Instead, Matthew turned on her.
“She recalls him gripping her with her arms pinned to her sides,” Bruce told the Dundee Sheriff Court. “The next thing she felt was the horrific impact of her head striking the floor.”
The force of the attack left the teacher briefly unconscious. Blood poured from her head as she screamed for help, leaving a bloody handprint on the wall as she tried to get to her feet.
“She appeared to be like a ragdoll flying through the air,” a fellow teacher said, describing the scene.
Matthew expressed no remorse for his actions, instead saying that the teacher “deserved it”
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In the moments following the assault, Matthew sat calmly at a desk, scrolling on his phone and resting his feet on another teacher’s desk, completely unaware of the impact of his actions.
“Sir, it wasn’t an outburst of anger. She deserved it,” he reportedly told a staff member, adding insult to injury. “The stupid cow deserved it,” he added.
Ms. Shaw was rushed to a hospital, where she was treated for a concussion and required 10 stitches. The ordeal left her with a prominent Y-shaped scar on her scalp.
According to plastic surgeon Dr. Ketki Kaushal, the injuries could’ve been fatal.
Image credits: Natanael Melchor (Not the actual photo)
“She’s lucky to be alive,” Kaushal said.
Beyond her already concerning physical injuries, authorities said the psychological trauma she endured has been devastating.
“You’ve robbed her of her career,” Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith told Matthew during sentencing. “She has been unable to go back to school due to panic attacks, nightmares and night terrors as a result of this assault.”
Matthew avoided going to jail by pleading guilty. Prosecutors say he irreparably damaged the teacher’s life
Image credits: Pawel Czerwinski (Not the actual photo)
Shaw was a dedicated educator who worked closely with vulnerable children, but the attack left her incapable of resuming her duties, and negatively affected every other facet of her life.
“It is not over-egging the pudding or exaggerating to say your attack has affected her life in every aspect,” the Sheriff added. “She is permanently disfigured. Photos show an extensive, significant scar on her head.”
Image credits: Giulia Squillace (Not the actual photo)
Matthew pled guilty to the attack, causing injuries amounting to permanent disfigurement and danger to a life. This, however, wasn’t a gesture motivated by a sudden change of heart, instead, it was a tactical move taken to reduce his potential sentence.
The early guilty plea meant that, under Scottish sentencing guidelines, what would’ve been an 18-month sentence under any other circumstances, was reduced to just under 12. Shorter terms like these for first offenders are generally avoided when alternatives are available.
As a result, the student was ordered to do three years worth of social work, as well as attend an anger management course and obey a strict 9pm to 7am curfew for a year.
The student reportedly suffers from PTSD, suffered from child abuse, and has “an extremely low IQ”
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Defense solicitor Theo Finlay pointed to Matthew’s background of childhood abuse and mental health as mitigating factors.
“He has had longstanding issues managing his emotions. It is likely he was already in a heightened condition,” he explained. “He experiences nightmares and requires to be medicated.”
Finlay’s arguments aren’t unfounded. Reports indicate that Matthew had been diagnosed with ADHD and has an IQ in the extremely low range of 47 to 59 points. This means he struggles with basic tasks and requires prompting to eat.
According to Finlay, the student was bullied constantly, felt “intensely disliked” at school, and was “frequently provoked by his peers.”
The solicitor went on to say that the decision to make him change clothes in a separate room from his classmates contributed to Matthew feeling singled out and discriminated against.