A school in Rennes (illustration).

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Mathieu Pattier / SIPA

On Tuesday, a retired school teacher from Faaa (Tahiti) was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended.

He was tried for having committed physical and psychological abuse on students throughout his career, reports local media La Première, relayed by CNews.

He was notably accused of having spat and farted in the mouths of CM1 students but also of calling them by humiliating nicknames, of bringing them to their knees in class or of forcing them to fight among themselves.

In addition to that, he was accused of fraudulent acts: he sold school materials and sports items to parents when they were normally made available free of charge.

This morning, a former teacher from Vaiaha school in Faa'a appears in the correctional court for physical and psychological abuse of his CM1 students.

https://t.co/l47bFUyehQ Tahiti Polynesie pic.twitter.com/AZbD0qIoZK

- polynesiela1ere (@ Polynesiela1ere) September 8, 2020

"The administration has been failing for thirty years"

In order not to be denounced by his victims, the professor had a little trick.

"He gave us 100 peaceful francs (

the current equivalent of 83 cents, editor's note

) so that we do not tell what was happening in class," said one of his former students.

Several reports were however made, one in 1993 and the other in 2003. But the teacher received only two warnings each time, before being transferred to another school.

Finally, a former student posted a message on Facebook that "will finally trigger a tsunami", explained the school lawyer before adding: "The administration has been failing for thirty years […] MR (

the teacher , editor's note

) will not have had anything until 2019, when he retired, without ever having been dismissed from the civil service ”.

For his part, the respondent assured that these accusations were a "revenge" of parents of students and a "stunt" of the school director.

Arguments that did not convince the magistrates since he was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, as well as to the ban on exercising an activity in contact with minors.

Finally, the school principal was sentenced to four months suspended prison sentence.

The 21 former students who joined as a civil party will each receive 300,000 peaceful francs, or approximately 2,500 euros.

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  • Conviction

  • Professor

  • Justice

  • Tahiti

  • Abuse

  • Primary school