MSP takes on teacher's appeal over assault conviction

Published on Tuesday 13 January 2009 19:08

AN MSP has taken up the case of a schoolteacher found guilty of assaulting two pupils who subjected him to "extreme abuse".

Mike Barile, a maths teacher whose house has been targeted by teenage vandals, was convicted in December of assaulting two disruptive pupils in his classroom.

Barile, an associate director of Dundee United Football Club, is appealing the decision and has received a wave of support since the court case.

A petition in support of the teacher is being circulated in response to public reaction at a rally in Dundee City Square on Saturday.

About 250 people attended the rally to highlight concerns about Barile's conviction and the wider issues of pupil indiscipline in schools.

Now, the Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick has confirmed he has taken up the case of Barile, who remains suspended from his post at St Paul's academy in Dundee, that was known as Lawside when the assaults took place last year.

Mr FitzPatrick, who met Barile last week, had previously declined to comment on the case due to constituent confidentiality.

However, the Dundee teacher has now given Mr FitzPatrick permission to reveal that he has taken up his case.

Mr FitzPatrick has also arranged a meeting with Fiona Hyslop, the education secretary, to discuss the wider issue of classroom indiscipline raised by the case.

He said: "We need to make sure we have mechanisms in place to support our teachers. There is increasing concern that this may not be the case in Dundee."