Eighteen-year-old Kieran Matthew avoided jail time after violently attacking his teacher, Carol Shaw, at St Paul’s Academy in Dundee, an assault that left her permanently scarred and unable to return to work.
On March 22 last year, Matthew grabbed Ms. Shaw in what witnesses described as a “rugby-style grip” and slammed her head-first onto the concrete floor. She was knocked unconscious, suffered a severe head injury, and required 10 stitches for a deep Y-shaped wound on her scalp. Doctors said the injuries could have been fatal.
“He walked free!?” one commenter wrote online. “And then they wonder why more people don’t want to become a teacher.”
Despite the severity of the incident, Matthew was handed a three-year social work supervision order, avoiding prison entirely, according to The Sunday Times. The court heard that the attack followed a confrontation about a behavioural measure: Matthew, who had a history of aggression, refused to change for PE in a separate room, a protocol designed to prevent classroom conflict.
Fiscal Deputy Laura Bruce said Ms. Shaw, regarded as a trusted adult by Matthew, was called to de-escalate. Instead, she became the target.
“She remembers being grabbed, arms pinned, then hitting the floor with horrific force,” Bruce told Dundee Sheriff Court, per Metro.
Bloodied and disoriented, Shaw tried to get up, leaving a handprint on the wall. Another teacher said she looked “like a ragdoll flying through the air,” BBC News reports.
In the aftermath, Matthew reportedly showed no remorse. “She deserved it,” he told staff while scrolling his phone with his feet up on a desk. “The stupid cow deserved it.”
The consequences for Ms. Shaw went far beyond the physical. She has been unable to return to the classroom and continues to suffer from panic attacks, nightmares, and psychological trauma.
“You’ve robbed her of her career,” Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith told Matthew. “She is permanently disfigured. This has affected her life in every aspect.”
Though Matthew pled guilty to assault causing permanent disfigurement and endangerment to life, his plea was a tactical move that reduced his sentence under Scottish guidelines, from a potential 18 months to under 12. Because shorter sentences for first-time offenders are often avoided when alternatives exist, he received community-based sentencing instead.
As part of his punishment, Matthew must complete three years of supervision, attend anger management, and follow a 9pm–7am curfew for 12 months.
Defense solicitor Theo Finlay cited Matthew’s background (severe childhood abuse, PTSD, ADHD, and an IQ between 47 and 59) as mitigating factors. “He struggles with basic daily tasks and needs prompting even to eat,” Finlay said, adding that Matthew was frequently bullied and felt alienated by being made to change for gym separately.
Still, many online questioned whether his personal history justified the leniency of the sentence. “Unbelievable,” one user wrote. “She nearly died, and he gets to go home.”
