A special needs teacher won her battle for her compensation claim after she was assaulted by a pupil at work this week. Highland Council, Teresa McCarthy’s employer at the time of the incident, was ordered to pay her £71,158 in total as compensation, the culmination of a 17-day hearing.

The pupil scratched, repeatedly punched and pulled Mrs McCarthy’s hair in the attack in 2001 at Drummond School, Inverness. The court heard that Mrs McCarthy had suffered from depression, nightmares, and a loss of confidence which left her unable to return to work in education.

The costs involved include £10,000 compensation and £46,778 in earnings lost while Mrs McCarthy was unable to work. Mrs McCarthy was able to return to a new job in 2005, in which she retrained as a nurse. (BBC News, 2009)