Latest news with #EnniskillenMagistratesCourt
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Strabane: Man charged over weekend attack
A 33-year-old man has been charged with causing another man grievous bodily harm with intent after a weekend assault in Strabane, County Tyrone.A man in his 30s is in a critical condition in hospital following the assault in a flat on Main Street on Saturday afternoon. He sustained serious injuries to his face, head and body and was taken by air ambulance to suspect is due to appear at Enniskillen Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Sunday World
23-04-2025
- Sunday World
Former music teacher (65) jailed after conviction for sexually assaulting child
David Baxter, who was head of music at Erne Integrated College, had previously been found guilty following a two-day contest at Enniskillen Magistrates Court A former music teacher convicted of sexually assaulting a child has been jailed. David Baxter, who was head of music at Erne Integrated College, had previously been found guilty following a two-day contest at Enniskillen Magistrates Court. The 65-year-old, of Killadeas Road, Lisnarick, denied sexually touching the child on a date between February 1 and April 30 2018. However, he was convicted by District Judge Alana McSorley. At court today, Baxter maintained his innocence. A defence lawyer said the consequences have been severe, with his loss of roles as a substitute teacher, within his church and a teachers' union. 'He will never be placed in a position of trust again,' the lawyer said. Judge McSorley told Baxter: 'There is complete denial of compellability with no remorse. You groomed a vulnerable child and were the architect of bringing her into the room. In some distorted sense of reality you consider yourself a victim.' Baxter was jailed for four-and-half months and will remain on the Sex Offender Register for seven years. The defence said he intends to appeal. During the trial, it was stated the victim was aged about 12 became she became involved in the school choir. Baxter was said to have paid particular attention to her, including offering to lend her a keyboard for practicing. When she went to his classroom to collect this he entered his store with her and the door closed behind them and other pupils remained in the classroom. He encouraged her to sit beside him, placing his hand on her shoulder and pushing her down on his knee, then placed his hand on her thigh. Evidence was heard from others who raised concerns about Baxter in the past. One former pupil said: 'He started forming a friendship with me when I was 11 or 12. It was inappropriate. He invited me to his classroom during lunchtime and told me to stay out of some classes and go to his instead. He became very touchy, commenting on how cold and tiny my hands were." She said: "We were suspicious he was taking photos in class and asked to use his phone as a guitar tuner. There were hundreds of photos of students as young as 11 who didn't know their photos were being taken.' A classroom assistant described an incident of Baxter holding his phone 'in a way that looked very suspicious. It was pointed downwards between tables, aimed at a girl wearing a short skirt.' Another classroom assistant spoke of a school choir trip to Cork, during which Baxter encouraged the children to call him 'Tour Daddy' and observed him placing himself in positions where the girls were in close contact. 'He was standing in such a way the girls had to squeeze past him. But he didn't do that with the boys.' Baxter asked her to take the boys out shopping as he had organised a party for some of the girls and he would 'babysit.' He 'appeared to have sorted it out with them. He told me he had cleared the party with Jimmy Jackson-Ware (former principal) but he hadn't.' Baxter had insisted: 'I'm a caring teacher and offered (victim) a small keyboard to use over the holidays. She followed me into the store and sat beside me. I don't recall anything pernicious about that.' He denied she sat on his knee or there was any physical contact. This matter was investigated by Mr Jackson-Ware who informed social services, but no issue was found. Baxter had no recollection of the incident of taking photographs, branding the classroom assistant who reported him 'belligerent and not helpful to work with.' He accepted there were images of pupils on his phone 'from time-to-time' as he ran the school Facebook page. Following this Mr Jackson-Ware spoke with the Education Authority Child Protection Team who informed him to look at the images and if he was satisfied there was nothing wrong, that was the end of it. 'I handed my phone to Mr Jackson-Ware who looked at the images and there was no issue,' said Baxter. He denied knowledge of the party, however 'it was the youngest person on the trip's birthday and her mates had a whip-round to buy her a present. I took the money and bought a scooter.' Baxter confirmed encountering a girl struggling to change on the beach but insisted he immediately alerted the female assistant adding: 'This was also fully investigated by the school, the Education Authority and the Gateway Team and there were no issues. It's all very disappointing.' Having heard the evidence District Judge McSorley convicted Baxter stressing the other witness evidence contextualised how he was aware of previous allegations by more than one person.' The school's board of governors previously said: 'The board confirm that contemporaneous allegations were investigated by the school, reported to the EA safeguarding team and acted upon. "We abhor and condemn the abuse perpetrated by a former teacher and would encourage anyone with allegations to contact the PSNI. "The college adheres to and regularly reviews, all current safeguarding and child protection policies and guidance, and places our students' wellbeing at the centre of their educational experience.'
