A mother in Australia is under police investigation after she placed a listening device in her son's pocket to uncover the cause of mysterious bruises. Skye Cooper's son, who is autistic, non-verbal, and suffers from epilepsy, was enrolled at a primary school in eastern Victoria. About a year ago, Ms Cooper noticed bruises on her son's arm, but his worsening reaction to being dropped off at school raised serious concerns.
Mother's Concerns Grow
'When he came home with a couple of bruises, multiple times, we kept an eye on it,' the 36-year-old told the Daily Mail. 'While dropping him off at school, he started to become very irate. He did not want to leave the car. He was very verbal about that for a non-verbal child. He had never shown any aggression or that type of behaviour before attending that school or after attending that school.'
Ms Cooper had heard stories of other worried parents using listening devices, so she bought one online. Every morning from June to October 2025, she placed the device in his pocket. After listening to the recordings, she was stunned by what she heard.
Allegations of Abuse
She claimed to have heard a teacher's aide warning her son: 'If you hurt me, I'll hurt you.' This statement was allegedly made at least three times. 'I couldn't keep putting him through that and I had enough evidence to pull him out of that school,' Ms Cooper alleged. 'He copped a lot of verbal abuse from the teacher's aide he was working with one-on-one, and school staff and the children. It got worse, and you could hear him screaming in the recording. He was quite distraught. It was heartbreaking to listen to. I'm trying to protect my child. I went to the Victorian Disability Workers Commission to make a formal complaint.'
During that time, the aide denied the allegations, unaware of the recordings. After the recordings were produced, the aide sent an apology letter stating she 'cannot specifically recall stating these words' but was 'remorseful such a statement was made.' The aide added: 'I clearly used words that I should not have used.' The Daily Mail is not suggesting the aide was responsible for the child's bruises.
Police Investigation
Ms Cooper has since enrolled her son in another school where he is doing better. However, she now faces a new challenge with Victoria Police. In Victoria, using a listening device to record a private conversation without consent is a criminal offence. Ms Cooper was questioned by police but released. 'I thought it was ridiculous,' she said. She told the Daily Mail she did not regret her actions despite the police intervention. 'I still would've done it. I think any mother would self-sacrifice to protect their child.'
The Department of Education stated: 'The safety of students at school is the priority of both the department and educators. We always urge parents or carers to raise any safety concerns directly with their school so they can be investigated fully.' Victoria Police said: 'Police interviewed a woman as part of an investigation into a report of a listening device at a school between July and October 2025. A 36-year-old woman was released pending further enquiries. The investigation remains ongoing.'
