Head acquitted of slapping pupil

A headteacher was acquitted today of assaulting a pupil by slapping him round the face, according to a court spokesman.

A 15-year-old boy had accused Eve Ritchie-Fallon of hitting him as he stood smoking in the grounds of the Forest Education Centre, Dibden Purlieu, Hampshire, on November 21, 2008.

But the 57-year-old was found not guilty by Southampton magistrates of the offence of assault by beating, the court spokeswoman said.

The boy, who suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had alleged she had pulled off a pair of earmuffs from his head before slapping him.

But Mrs Ritchie-Fallon, of Long Close, Pennington, Hants, had maintained that the assault had simply not happened.

The Forest Education Centre teaches children aged between 11 and 16 who have been referred because of behavioural difficulties or because they have been permanently excluded from school.

The pupils are taught in groups of no more than six and on a reduced timetable.