Schoolboy’s resentment over criticism leaves teacher with burns, blindness risk

A male student attacked his teacher with drain cleaner over past criticism, leaving her with 18% chemical burns and a risk of blindness, police said.

On Tuesday, the first day of the new school year, an 18-year-old male student at Saint John de Brito School allegedly attacked a female teacher in her 60s by pouring drain cleaner on her. Both were injured and taken to the hospital.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) held a special press conference yesterday to disclose details of the case, announcing that the student had been arrested and transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), marking the formal entry of the case into the criminal investigation phase.

The student now faces criminal proceedings under the law, with prosecutors able to impose pretrial measures and decide whether to indict or close the case.

According to the PJ, the student’s attack stemmed from long-held resentment over criticism he received from the teacher in Form 2. After discovering she would be his class teacher again in the upcoming school year, he became anxious and spent a week planning the assault.

On the morning of the first day of school, the student purchased drain cleaner from a supermarket near the school and brought it back to campus, where he poured it on the teacher in a classroom corridor.

He told police that he intended to prevent her from continuing as his class teacher or to get himself suspended from school.

The attack left the teacher at risk of blindness in her left eye and with third-degree chemical burns covering 18% of the skin on her left face and body. The student also sustained mild burns to his forearms and hands during the attack, which are expected to take about 15 days to heal.

Police said the student had no previous school or criminal record but had been experiencing emotional stress, the cause of which is still being investigated.

Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, police urged students to avoid violence and seek adult help when stressed, and called on parents to watch for signs of emotional distress in their children.