Teacher shut boy in cupboard

A teacher shut a special-needs pupil in a cupboard for misbehaving in class.

The nine-year-old boy's parents found out about the incident at St Gregory's Roman Catholic Primary School in Ealing when staff contacted his mother.

His father Jon Sutton was so disgusted with the behaviour of the temporary teacher taking the Italian class that he reported the incident to police.

Mr Sutton, 35, of Romford, Essex, said: "My son was very distressed, he was sobbing after being shut in a space that was only two-foot wide. It took his teacher 20 minutes to calm him down."

He added: "My son has special needs and has recently been diagnosed with autism. He may have been a bit cheeky but it was not a reason to shut him in a cupboard."

Mr Sutton claimed his son was bullied after the incident, suffering back injuries.

Following a meeting between the boy's parents and the school complaints panel, the school admitted the boy had been put in the cupboard.

"I believe a crime has been committed and I want to redress the upset to my son," said Mr Sutton.

"Depending on the outcome of the police investigation, we are considering a civil claim for compensation."

A Met spokesman declined to comment while investigations continued.

St Gregory's was unavailable for comment.