Eighteen-year-old Kieran Matthew escaped jail despite violently attacking his teacher, Carol Shaw, at St Paul’s Academy in Dundee — an assault so severe it left her permanently scarred and unable to work.
On March 22 last year, witnesses watched in horror as Matthew seized Ms. Shaw in a “rugby-style grip” and slammed her head-first onto the unforgiving concrete floor. She was knocked unconscious, suffering a life-threatening head injury, with a deep Y-shaped wound on her scalp that required 10 stitches. Doctors warned the attack could have been fatal.
The public reaction was fierce. “He walked free?!” one commenter exclaimed online. “No wonder fewer people want to become teachers.”
Despite the shocking nature of the attack, Matthew received only a three-year social work supervision order — completely avoiding prison, according to The Sunday Times. The court heard the violent outburst followed a dispute over a behavioural policy: Matthew, with a known history of aggression, refused to change for PE in a separate room, a measure intended to reduce classroom tension.
Fiscal Deputy Laura Bruce told Dundee Sheriff Court that Ms. Shaw, once a trusted adult to Matthew, was called in to calm things down — but instead became the victim.
“She recalls being grabbed, her arms pinned, then slammed to the floor with horrific force,” Bruce said, highlighting the brutal nature of the assault.
This case shines a harsh light on the dangers teachers face and raises pressing questions about justice and safety in schools.
Bloodied and disoriented, Ms. Shaw struggled to rise, leaving a handprint smeared across the wall. Another teacher described the horrifying attack as seeing her “like a ragdoll flying through the air,” according to BBC News.
In the chilling aftermath, Matthew reportedly showed no remorse. “She deserved it,” he sneered to staff, casually scrolling through his phone with his feet propped on a desk. “The stupid cow deserved it.”
But the consequences for Ms. Shaw extend far beyond her physical injuries. She has been unable to return to teaching and continues to battle panic attacks, nightmares, and deep psychological trauma.
“You’ve robbed her of her career,” Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith told Matthew sternly. “She is permanently disfigured. This has affected every aspect of her life.”
Though Matthew pled guilty to assault causing permanent disfigurement and endangerment to life, his plea was a strategic move that significantly reduced his potential sentence under Scottish law—from up to 18 months down to less than a year. Since shorter prison sentences for first-time offenders are often avoided when alternatives exist, Matthew was given a community-based sentence instead.
His punishment includes three years of supervision, mandatory anger management courses, and a strict 9pm to 7am curfew for 12 months.
Defense solicitor Theo Finlay pointed to Matthew’s traumatic background—severe childhood abuse, PTSD, ADHD, and a low IQ ranging between 47 and 59—as mitigating factors. “He struggles with basic daily tasks and requires prompting even to eat,” Finlay explained, noting Matthew was often bullied and felt isolated due to being forced to change for gym separately.
Still, many online reacted with disbelief and anger. “Unbelievable,” one commenter wrote. “She nearly died, and he gets to go home.”
