A teacher has been convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl by pretending to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre during a drama lesson at a secondary school in Dundee. Stephen Gillespie, 63, was filmed by another pupil as he grunted and thrust his body into the girl from behind.
Court Proceedings
Gillespie, who donned a full latex mask to hide his face as he left court, was placed on the sex offenders register for a year and removed from the classroom. He was sentenced to 12 months of supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work after being found guilty of sexual assault at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Incident Details
The court heard that Gillespie had been discussing chewing gum with the class before singling out the 13-year-old victim. A teenage witness testified: 'He stood behind the girl and put his hands under her chest area whilst facing her from behind... He began to demonstrate the Heimlich manoeuvre. I think he did this for about 30 seconds. All the class were laughing as he did it. Mr Gillespie was grunting as he was doing it.'
The witness added that the victim looked scared and was shaking. She recorded a few seconds of the assault on her phone. Gillespie did not ask for permission to demonstrate the manoeuvre.
Defence and Sentencing
Gillespie continued to deny any sexual element to his actions, but Sheriff George Way found him guilty. Defence solicitor Lucy Martin stated: 'He continues to deny the charge and the conduct.' Sheriff Way remarked: 'It is a fine line between what the perception is... Whatever he thought he was doing, it was a terrible lapse of judgment.'
The sheriff noted that Gillespie, a first offender with a blameless record, would face severe professional and personal consequences. The sentence aims to prevent recurrence, with counselling and unpaid work.
Aftermath
Gillespie's supporters checked outside the court before he used a latex mask to evade photographers. The incident occurred on August 27 last year, and police were contacted immediately.
