A SEVENTEEN-year-old boy from the Chard area who threw a jar of faeces mixed with urine in the face of an English teacher while at a Young offenders Institution has appeared in court.

The youth was then said to have stood laughing at the horrified victim as she was covered in the putrid mixture which was in her face, hair and clothing.

In a victim impact statement read to the court she said the substance “smelt disgusting” and she had been left feeling so distressed by the incident that she could not face returning to work for three weeks afterwards.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was brought before Somerset Magistrates in custody after failing to attend a scheduled hearing at Yeovil Youth Court.

From the Chard area, but currently living at an address in Devon, he pleaded guilty that on January 4 at HMP YOI Bridgend he assaulted Amy Coombes by beating her.

The court was told that the defendant had pleaded guilty on a basis that he was not aware of the contents of the jar when he threw it over the victim, a basis that was not accepted by the prosecution.

Prosecutor Stuart Sampson said that the defendant was sentenced to a period of detention at a Young Offenders Institution at the end of December last year and was working with the teacher in a classroom.

“She was sat at a desk while the boy was doing his work on a one-to-one basis and there were two other students in the room,” he said.

“Another one arrived late and Miss Coombes got up to help settle him in but when she returned the defendant threw a combination of faeces and urine at her from a jar where it had been stored.

“She said the smell was disgusting and it was in her face, hair and clothing and soaked through her clothes and onto her skin.

“She could not get it out of her hair and then showered and had to be given fresh prison-issue clothing to wear.”

The incident was caught on CCTV and the youth could be seen putting his hands under the table and throwing a substance in her face. He then threw the container at her when she left the room but fortunately it did not hit her.

“The defendant was smiling and broke into laughter when the officers came into the room, and the victim had to throw her own watch and boots away along with her work uniform which had to be disposed of,” said Mr Sampson.

“She attempted to return to work but found it too stressful and then reported off sick and could not return until three weeks later as she said she could not trust the inmates any more.

“She said she has also had flashbacks and trouble sleeping ever since the incident.”

He said that when the defendant was interviewed by police he submitted a prepared statement where he admitted throwing a pot of faeces over the teacher.

However he said there was a discrepancy between the prosecution version and the defendant’s version of events where he claimed that he did not know what was in the jar.

The magistrates were told that the defendant was also due to appear before the next hearing of the youth court to answer allegations in regard to other offences.

They adjourned the case until May 4 when he was ordered to appear before the next youth court to see if there are grounds for a Newton hearing to be held to determine the facts of the case.

In the meantime he was released on conditional bail.