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ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Since the trial of school principal Robin McGrath began last week, prosecutor Shawn Patten has wrapped up his series of questions for most of the witnesses he has called to testify with the same query.
It’s perhaps the most natural question one might ask the women, who worked at the same Conception Bay South elementary school as McGrath during the 2017-18 school year, and who have each described incidents of McGrath allegedly acting violently or making threatening remarks toward children with special needs, from the fall of the year onward.
“You spoke to police in June. Why didn’t you tell someone before then?” Patten has asked four of the witnesses.
All four provided the same response: they were afraid of McGrath, whom they said had threatened them and told them no one goes up against him and comes out on top.
Tuesday afternoon’s witness, the school’s assistant principal during the school year in question, testified to having seen similar things as the others have alleged. Among them: McGrath stepping on a child’s hand until the child cried out; McGrath grabbing children’s cheeks with his two palms, leaning in close and yelling in their face; McGrath dragging children around.
“I was afraid of his demeanour, I was afraid when he got angry, I was afraid because he said no one goes up against him and anyone who does go up against him doesn’t win."
Some of the women have spoken about McGrath dousing a child with cold water, picking up and slamming down chairs children were sitting in and swearing at students. One woman said she witnessed McGrath hold a pair of scissors up to a child and threaten to cut off his fingers.
“I struggled with that every single day,” the assistant principal responded to Patten’s question, lowering her head. “I was afraid. I was afraid of Mr. McGrath.”
“Why?” Patten pressed.
“I was afraid of his demeanour, I was afraid when he got angry, I was afraid because he said no one goes up against him and anyone who does go up against him doesn’t win. I was afraid of what he might do. Just like it is as I’m standing here today, I was afraid it would be my word against his and no one would believe me.”
The assistant principal told the court of a time she saw McGrath call a student over to his desk, turn the child around, then cross the boy’s arms over the boy’s chest. McGrath then held the boy in that position from behind as he disciplined him, at times squeezing the child, the woman testified.
“I could see his little face and I could see tears start to well up in his eyes,” she told the court, crying. “I saw tears. I saw his face was red. I saw he was afraid.”
At times, McGrath asked children he was disciplining, “If you do that again, who’s going to get you?” the assistant principal said. In one incident he asked a child, “Tell me again what I’m going to do to you if you do that again?” the woman alleged. She said the child replied, “You’re going to push my head down the toilet.”
The assistant principal was the second person to testify Tuesday. In the morning, a teacher at the school told the court she had spoken to the guidance counsellor early in the school year with concerns about McGrath being aggressive with one student in particular, and the child’s classroom teacher and instructional resource teacher following suit.
She told the court of a time she witnessed McGrath push a small child with special needs out the door onto the playground, describing the boy stumbling out, back arched and head snapped back.
She testified McGrath once told her, “I made a kid s--- his pants today,” recounting how he had shaken the child’s chair and picking up a chair and shaking it to demonstrate. The teacher told the court she had asked McGrath, “Are you proud of yourself?” but he didn’t respond louder than a mutter.
The teacher also alleged McGrath once told her that he didn’t trust anybody and had arranged the furniture in his office so he could sit at his desk with his back facing the wall. She said McGrath had told her he kept knives hidden in his phone book.
McGrath’s lawyers, Ian Patey and Tom Johnson, argued against Patten’s submission that the allegation about the knives — which had been mentioned by other witnesses — wasn’t relevant because it wasn’t directly connected to McGrath’s charges. The defence lawyers submitted McGrath had only a letter opener and a knife for peeling apples in his office and the witnesses were “repainting history” and “colouring innocuous events” based on their perception of McGrath because of the knives allegation.
Patey questioned the teacher who testified Tuesday on a statement she had given to police indicating her perception of McGrath had changed halfway through the school year when she learned he and an instructional resource teacher at the school, both of whom were married to other people, had been having an affair. Other witnesses have mentioned the relationship as well.
McGrath is expected to take the witness stand before his trial is through, and his lawyers have been providing insight into his testimony by repeatedly telling the witnesses what he is planning to say and asking for their response.
Patey and Johnson have said McGrath will tell the court the allegations against him aren’t true because they didn’t happen at all, or because his use of appropriate techniques to modify his students’ behaviour, protect them from hurting themselves or assist them in focusing had been misinterpreted.
“Mr. McGrath will testify that he never pushed (the child out into the schoolyard) that day. What do you say to that?” Patey asked the teacher Tuesday.
She gave a similar answer as other witnesses when presented with the principal’s expected testimony.
“I know what I saw.”
The teacher indicated she hadn't seen McGrath make contact with the child, but assumed he had pushed him given the way the boy had stumbled out and McGrath's position behind him.
The defence lawyers have indicated they, too, will call school staff to testify, including teachers and the school secretary, who will tell the court they never heard nor saw McGrath act inappropriately toward any child.
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
