Teacher knocked unconscious in Dundee school when raging pupil threw her 'like a ragdoll'

The Courier

22-04-2025

A Dundee school teacher was knocked unconscious and left covered in blood after being thrown 'like a ragdoll' by an angry pupil.
After carrying out the vicious attack, Keiran Matthew put his feet up on a teacher's desk and said: 'The stupid cow deserved it.'
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how the female teacher at St Paul's Academy in Kirkton was lucky not to have sustained life-threatening injuries at the 18-year-old's hands.
Matthew, who has diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a learning difficulty, pled guilty to attacking the woman in a corridor on March 22 2024.
The horrific assault unfolded after the then-S5 pupil refused to get changed separately from other pupils before PE.
This measure – agreed by Matthew, his foster mum and the school – was put in place because of previous aggression towards other children.
Fiscal depute Laura Bruce said Matthew was described as a 'couple of years behind' in his development and was educated outside mainstream classes.
On the afternoon in question, Matthew – around 6ft in height – was said to have been 'agitated' and 'heightened' over the pre-PE changing.
The teacher who would be attacked was deemed to be a 'safe' person for him and had previously succeeded in de-escalating volatile incidents.
She took the decision to have two other teachers and pupils placed in a locked classroom away from Matthew, who sat with his head down at a table.
Mrs Bruce said: 'The accused then realised they had gone to the ICT class and moved towards the door and said 'I'm f*****g going in there too'.
'He tried to exit to the corridor where (the teacher) had her back to him.
'She recalls him gripping her in a rugby-style grip with her arms pinned to her sides and the next thing she felt was the horrific impact of her head striking the floor.'
The court heard the teacher blacked out momentarily but regained consciousness and made a bloody handprint on the wall as she tried to get to her feet.
Staff came to her aid after she screamed for help while bleeding profusely.
'She was blinded by her own blood, which covered her face and top with a large amount of blood seen on the floor,' Mrs Bruce said.
'Another teacher had witnessed the accused lift her completely off her feet, throwing her to the floor deliberately and landing headfirst.
'Another said she appeared to be like a ragdoll flying through the air.
'The accused sat at a teacher's desk, with his feet on the desk and using his mobile phone.
'He told a teacher 'Sir, it wasn't an outburst of anger – she deserved it'.'
During a phone call to tell someone he hit a teacher, Matthew again said 'she deserved it'.
He later banged on the desk and said: 'The stupid cow deserved it.'
A colleague took the injured teacher to Ninewells Hospital because of an expected 20-minute wait for an ambulance.
She was given 10 stitches and had to return for a CT scan because she was confused and unable to finish sentences.
The woman was diagnosed with concussion and plastic surgeon Dr Ketki Kaushal said the assault could have been life-threatening.
It was revealed she sustained a Y-shaped wound to her forehead, which would leave an 'obvious and permanent' scar for life.
After being cautioned and charged, Matthew, of Dundee, replied: 'I am sorry.'
He pled guilty to seizing the teacher's neck and body, throwing her to the floor, causing her to strike her head and be rendered unconscious.
He admitted the assault was to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and the danger of her life. He will be sentenced at a later date.