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Eighteen-year-old Kieran Matthew has escaped prison after violently assaulting his teacher, Carol Shaw, at St Paul’s Academy in Dundee—an attack that left her permanently disfigured and unable to return to work.
On March 22 of last year, witnesses described how Matthew seized Ms. Shaw in a “rugby-style grip” and slammed her head-first onto the unforgiving concrete floor.
Bloodied and dazed, Ms. Shaw struggled to rise, leaving a bloody handprint smeared across the wall. Another teacher described the scene as if she were “like a ragdoll flying through the air,” according to BBC News.
Shockingly, in the aftermath of the attack, Matthew showed no remorse. With his feet propped on a desk and scrolling through his phone, he reportedly told staff, “She deserved it. The stupid cow deserved it.”
The consequences for Ms. Shaw extended far beyond her physical injuries. She has been unable to return to the classroom and continues to battle panic attacks, nightmares, and lasting psychological trauma.
“You’ve robbed her of her career,” Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith told Matthew during sentencing. “She is permanently disfigured. This has affected her life in every aspect.”
Though Matthew pled guilty to assault causing permanent disfigurement and endangerment to life, his plea was a strategic move that reduced his sentence under Scottish law—from a possible 18 months to less than 12. Because shorter sentences for first-time offenders are often avoided when alternatives are available, Matthew was instead handed a community-based sentence.
His punishment includes three years of supervision, mandatory anger management classes, and a 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for one year.
Defense solicitor Theo Finlay pointed to Matthew’s troubled background—marked by severe childhood abuse, PTSD, ADHD, and a low IQ estimated between 47 and 59—as mitigating factors. “He struggles with basic daily tasks and needs prompting even to eat,” Finlay said. He also highlighted that Matthew was frequently bullied and felt isolated after being required to change for gym separately.
Still, many online questioned whether his difficult past should have spared him such leniency. “Unbelievable,” one commenter wrote. “She nearly died, and he gets to go home.
The blow knocked her unconscious and caused a severe head injury, requiring 10 stitches to close a deep Y-shaped wound on her scalp. Medical experts warned that the injuries could have been fatal.
Outraged online, one commenter expressed disbelief: “He walked free!? And then they wonder why more people don’t want to become teachers.”
Despite the gravity of the assault, Matthew was handed a three-year social work supervision order—avoiding jail time altogether, according to The Sunday Times. The court learned the attack erupted following a dispute over a behavioural measure: Matthew, with a history of aggression, refused to change for PE in a separate room, a strategy aimed at preventing classroom conflict.
Fiscal Deputy Laura Bruce described the harrowing moment in Dundee Sheriff Court: “Ms. Shaw, who Matthew regarded as a trusted adult, was called in to de-escalate the situation. Instead, she became the victim. She recalls being grabbed, her arms pinned, and then slammed to the floor with horrific force.”
