A Gold Coast teacher who kicked a student in the back and made her fall face-first onto the ground has pleaded guilty to assault.

Travis Ronald Templar, who taught maths at AB Patterson College in Arundel for fifteen years, was said to have physically assaulted a 12-year-old girl in October.

It was reported that the 41-year-old requested the student to pick up bread crumbs from the ground before kicking her in the lower back when she got down on her knees.

Templar's defence lawyer Daniel Hua claimed that the defendant was engaged in a "playful exchange" with the student and that the kick was not charged with ill-intention.

The lawyer said that Templar can be heard making a "whoop" sound when he kicked the girl and started laughing after she fell face first, believing that the encounter was "amical".

Hua told the court: “The kick was not motivated by malice or any intention to injure the child.”

The 41-year-old former maths teacher pleaded guilty to the assault despite his defence lawyer’s claim that he and the plaintiff were only engaged in a “playful exchange”. Credit: 7News.​

A victim impact statement released by the plaintiff's camp claimed that the girl had been "deeply affected" by the actions of the teacher.

The statement read: “I just never thought a teacher would have the guts to do that because they’re someone I trust.”

The Southport Magistrates Court convicted Templar of assault.

It was said that sixteen people have provided good character references to the court upon his trial, with some references pointing out that Templar was active in charity work.

Templar was given a $1,000 recognisance that he be of good behaviour for six months.

The teacher refused to comment on the trial outside court.

It was reported that he immediately resigned from his post at the school after the incident and successfully applied for a teaching position at Iona College.

However, his contract was terminated after the administrators of Iona College learned of his case.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it was fair for the teacher to lose his new job after he pleaded guilty to the assault? Better yet, do you think the kick was just a friendly gesture? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Firstly making the student pick up breadcrumbs on her knees is showing me something is not right, but to kick her in the back and then laugh!!! This is beyond wrong and he should have been charged with child abuse.
Three of my children are teachers and they are not even aloud to hug a student if they get hurt.
When the new school he went to found out they fired him , this shows how bad the incident was.

 

[Robbo128]

There is NO such thing as a "friendly gesture kick" by an adult on a child that is not his own son or daughter.
YES, he should have lost his new job.
Any person applying for a position of responsibility in an organisation must declare incidents that may have a bearing on his or her suitability for the position.
With holding or hiding relevant facts only leads to trouble later on, as this teacher found out.

 

[Zac]

A Gold Coast teacher who kicked a student in the back and made her fall face-first onto the ground has pleaded guilty to assault.

Travis Ronald Templar, who taught maths at AB Patterson College in Arundel for fifteen years, was said to have physically assaulted a 12-year-old girl in October.

It was reported that the 41-year-old requested the student to pick up bread crumbs from the ground before kicking her in the lower back when she got down on her knees.

Templar's defence lawyer Daniel Hua claimed that the defendant was engaged in a "playful exchange" with the student and that the kick was not charged with ill-intention.

The lawyer said that Templar can be heard making a "whoop" sound when he kicked the girl and started laughing after she fell face first, believing that the encounter was "amical".

Hua told the court: “The kick was not motivated by malice or any intention to injure the child.”

The 41-year-old former maths teacher pleaded guilty to the assault despite his defence lawyer’s claim that he and the plaintiff were only engaged in a “playful exchange”. Credit: 7News.​

A victim impact statement released by the plaintiff's camp claimed that the girl had been "deeply affected" by the actions of the teacher.

The statement read: “I just never thought a teacher would have the guts to do that because they’re someone I trust.”

The Southport Magistrates Court convicted Templar of assault.

It was said that sixteen people have provided good character references to the court upon his trial, with some references pointing out that Templar was active in charity work.

Templar was given a $1,000 recognisance that he be of good behaviour for six months.

The teacher refused to comment on the trial outside court.

It was reported that he immediately resigned from his post at the school after the incident and successfully applied for a teaching position at Iona College.

However, his contract was terminated after the administrators of Iona College learned of his case.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it was fair for the teacher to lose his new job after he pleaded guilty to the assault? Better yet, do you think the kick was just a friendly gesture? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.

Most definately he should lose his job.

 

[Glo72]

A Gold Coast teacher who kicked a student in the back and made her fall face-first onto the ground has pleaded guilty to assault.

Travis Ronald Templar, who taught maths at AB Patterson College in Arundel for fifteen years, was said to have physically assaulted a 12-year-old girl in October.

It was reported that the 41-year-old requested the student to pick up bread crumbs from the ground before kicking her in the lower back when she got down on her knees.

Templar's defence lawyer Daniel Hua claimed that the defendant was engaged in a "playful exchange" with the student and that the kick was not charged with ill-intention.

The lawyer said that Templar can be heard making a "whoop" sound when he kicked the girl and started laughing after she fell face first, believing that the encounter was "amical".

Hua told the court: “The kick was not motivated by malice or any intention to injure the child.”

The 41-year-old former maths teacher pleaded guilty to the assault despite his defence lawyer’s claim that he and the plaintiff were only engaged in a “playful exchange”. Credit: 7News.​

A victim impact statement released by the plaintiff's camp claimed that the girl had been "deeply affected" by the actions of the teacher.

The statement read: “I just never thought a teacher would have the guts to do that because they’re someone I trust.”

The Southport Magistrates Court convicted Templar of assault.

It was said that sixteen people have provided good character references to the court upon his trial, with some references pointing out that Templar was active in charity work.

Templar was given a $1,000 recognisance that he be of good behaviour for six months.

The teacher refused to comment on the trial outside court.

It was reported that he immediately resigned from his post at the school after the incident and successfully applied for a teaching position at Iona College.

However, his contract was terminated after the administrators of Iona College learned of his case.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it was fair for the teacher to lose his new job after he pleaded guilty to the assault? Better yet, do you think the kick was just a friendly gesture? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.

He assaulted a child in his care at school,he should not be allowed to teach again.

 

[weezza]

That is child abuse, the teacher should not be allowed to teach any where, period. The after effects for the child will affect her for a very long time. Picking up crumbs on her knees … horrific, he should have got a broom if it was that much of a concern. Then kicking her in the back!! The whole incident is assault, so what he pleads guilty . Ask anyone in the 50s and 60s how it felt to be hit. He was behind her what coward!. It certainly teaches young boys that assaulting a female is ok. He’s not the first or the last with this behaviour and it needs to stop.Shame on the school who has given him a job. Any one can get a reference it doesn’t change what he did. !!!

 

[Justjen]

Yes he should lose his job, an example to others that using violence even in play is just unacceptable! I don’t believe the whole episode was in jest anyhow.

 

[Mindygirl12022]

This teacher did the wrong thing, and should have known this at the time. I don't know really why he would have done this the way things are today. To lose his job is maybe too harsh though, to be 'stood down' for a couple of months and then given the chance to redeem himself may have been an alternative option. It needs to be said that many teachers today are resigning or taking stress leave because they are the recipients of abuse and violence, often of a much more aggressive nature. I feel so sorry for this student, but maybe we don't know the story behind this?

 

[Lynette Finnigan]

Just as kids need to respect teachers and maintain a certain level of distance... teachers also need to remember their position as teacher, they can't engage in any silly 'rough and tumble' with their students, or this is what happens...and if he genuinely kicked her in the back, then his discharge from the school is warranted ... but there's obviously more to the story than we'll ever know, but the engagement of actions was not really professional on h