Teacher faces 15 charges of assault

A Hawke's Bay primary school teacher is due in court next month to face 15 charges of assaulting his pupils aged five to seven.

Police claim he assaulted seven children on 15 occasions between January and December last year.

Some were allegedly hit with a chair, and a ruler.

The man and the school he worked at have interim name suppression.

A meeting between school parents was held two months ago, the father of one of the children told The Dominion Post.

The man is no longer teaching at the school but some parents believed he was working there in another role.

"In my opinion the school has not addressed this problem very well," the father said. "He shouldn't be there at all. Not while these charges are around.

The man is to appear in Hastings District Court for a pre-depositions hearing next month.

- NZPA