Primary teacher filmed kicking and hitting horse found innocent

[SushiSuave]

I never start threads about things in the news but this has shocked me. How on earth has this woman been found innocent when she was filmed kicking and hitting the horse?! I don't believe she caused lasting injury but surely being found innocent is condoning treating animals in this way?

Awful awful person and a wrong decision by the jury.

how can she say she has been ‘vindicated’ when that footage exists?

This

So she was found not guilty. A lot of people will have made up their mind up despite that.

I wouldn't be keen to employ her although undoubtedly someone will

What has her being a teacher got to do with it?

Does anybody really believe that she kicks and punches her pupils?

your OP omitted to mention her class. Obviously she must be MC.

I am astonished she was found not guilty in the light of the video, but none of us can know why unless we attended the entire court hearing and heard/saw all the evidence as the jury did.

But despite that, I cannot see why she should have lost her job. Those who suggest because she hit a horse (horrible though that was) she would be likely to treat a child in her professional care in the same way are delusional.

She was found not guilty by a jury. Are you suggesting her friends in high places have somehow made sure the jury returned a not guilty verdict?

I have had horses all my life and the way she lashed out at that pony was very wrong. I am faily sure that she didn't cause it any physical damage, but slapping a horse around the head does often cause long term behavioural issues. My guess would be that potential behavioural issues are not sufficient evidence of cruelty unfortunately.

We haven't sat through the evidence - she was found not guilty. Given this I think it is appalling she lost her job.

Vile. I really hope somebody does the same to her. If she was local to me she'd certainly get her comeuppance as it's a rough area and the local folk often seek their own kind of justice.

People like her don’t get found guilty. Surprise, surprise.

Can you clarify what you mean by "people like her"? Do you mean horse owners or animal abusers or something different?

I'm absolutely shocked and saddened by this verdict. What message does this send to all animal abusers out there? Is it acceptable to do this to a dog? a cat? a cow? If not, why is it ok for a horse? That horse wasn't being deliberately defiant, not that that would have justified how she treated it. And now she'll just continue to abuse it and tell anyone who challenges her that the law said she could. I'm upset and furious.

I'm not surprised it tried to run away. Imagine what she does behind closed doors.

I’ve watched the video and I thought her treatment of the horse was bloody awful! How she was found innocent I shall never know! Poor horse.

I'm glad she lost her job and I hope no one else gives her a teaching job, I wouldn't want her any where near my kids. How can she teach them about kind hands and feet?

I have read that she is greatly missed as a teacher in her community.
Also, she wasn't there to talk about 'kind hands and feet.' That's the parents' job.

I think it is actually very relevant.

She demonstrated completely inappropriate responses - you do not punish an animal for returning to you. She lost control out of anger and her instinct was to attempt to inflict pain and fear in a prey animal that cannot have an adult human's comprehension of what it had done; like a child. There was no correction or learning for that horse from returning to its owner to then be attacked. An animal cannot disclose violence or abuse - and neither can a small child.

Furthermore, I don't trust anybody who thinks that kicking and hitting an animal to make themselves feel better to be able to model appropriate responses to children.

Had I been a child myself and learned of it, I would have treated her with contempt (I had a very highly tuned sense of righteous indignation where abusing animals was concerned, mainly because I both knew what being abused was like and my comfort/emotional support was obtained solely from animals). I would have been absolutely unteachable and made damn sure that everybody else in the class knew about how she was a bad, wicked, cruel person. I'd also have expected her to turn on me for it, but that would have been no different from home - beat an animal, beat a kid was exactly the same because it was what I went through. She would have taken away any sense that school was a safe place - because in beating that horse, she made it clear it wasn't safe because it had an animal abuser in it.

The behaviour was clearly unacceptable but I that doesn't mean there was enough to convict her for causing unnecessary suffering. The horse appeared upset for a matter of seconds, then followed her into the horse box quite happily. There is nothing to suggest any injury was caused to the horse, and it appears healthy and well looked after. I would imagine that is why she was found not guilty. There is no offence of assault against animals in the way there is for humans.

We saw the evidence with our own eyes, I don't know what other 'evidence' there could be. The judgement is basically that what she did was fine - so go ahead and punch animals in the head whenever they don't do exactly what you want.

It was literally on camera...

Chastised? This terminology used to be reserved for parents, or husbands, chastising wilful family members. Always the younger and more vulnerable found to be in need of such chastisement. And it used to be justified as described in this case. Utterly sickening brutish, bullying behaviour. I hope she is never allowed back in a school supervising children. Vile.

To me that was mistreatment of the horse, and how the jury even came to a not guilty verdict, omg.

The poor horse. Certainly deserves a better owner.

So the jury are telling us they’re happy for anyone to go around kicking and punching animals, what a lovely lot.

I'm not presuming anything. I'm watching a video of the woman kicking and hitting a horse with my own eyes.

@Silverdogblue I'm sure there evidence didn't come from the daily Mail, no. But I'm damn sure they watched the same video.