A MAN who was found guilty of harassing a Barnsley headteacher in his absence after walking out before the start of his trial is to appeal his conviction.
Christopher Bingley, of Kendal Vale, Worsbrough Bridge, appeared at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court for trial on Monday having denied the offences at a previous hearing last October.
He claimed he was seeking responses from the school, which the Chronicle cannot identify due to reporting restrictions being put in place, after believing they did not inform him of his eight-year-old daughter’s ‘concerning’ behaviour in which she allegedly expressed suicidal thoughts.
However, the 49-year-old walked out of the court before the trial began after an application to adjourn made by defence solicitor Ashley Peace - who sought to issue more documents as evidence - was denied.
The headteacher, who appeared in court to give evidence, broke down in tears in the witness box as she recalled incidents which took place between February 26, 2016 and April 27, 2017.
“It was continuous - I was prescribed tablets by my GP because of the anxiety caused by Mr Bingley,” she said. “Every day there was an incident and it’s still very upsetting as it just didn’t seem like it would stop.
“His complaints were directed at me. He became angry by shouting and was abusive in the school’s reception area. In some cases he was shouting in front of lots of parents, but he also put leaflets on parents’ cars which referred to a child wanting to kill themselves and that I had failed to tell the parent about it.”
On December 17, 2016 - following the incident - Mr Bingley was made the subject of an order, Section 47 of the Education Act, which banned him from entering the school grounds by the trust in charge of the school.
The court was told his harassment snowballed from that point, with multiple letters and complaints being lodged by him threatening legal action.
“His behaviour was intimidating,” the headteacher said. “Despite being banned from entering the premises, he continued to attend and police had to be called each time on a near daily basis.”
His complaints were investigated by the school’s trust, although no breaches of policy were found to have taken place.
The chief executive from the trust, who also cannot be named, said: “I interviewed both the headteacher and two other staff members who were named in Mr Bingley’s complaints.
“In total there were around 80 pages of documents from him so there was a copious amount of information to go through. In meetings he was confrontational, verging on aggressive.
“A report was compiled by the trust in relation to the complaints and no findings related to the points were made. Each complaint was not substantiated and no breach of policy was made by the school.
“Due to the ongoing behaviour towards staff, and an incident in which Mr Bingley produced derogatory leaflets and put it on parents’ cars who were parked at the school for a Christmas concert, we removed his right to be on the premises, although he did not comply with the order.”
Mr Bingley, who was found guilty of harassment and causing a nuisance on school premises, will be sentenced on Wednesday.
He told the Chronicle: “I walked out of the court because it was not a fair trial as documents have been withheld. We applied for an adjournment so these could be issued as evidence.
“I absolutely deny the charges, especially being accused of placing the leaflets on parents’ cars’ windscreens. I was in hospital at the time, so could not have been anywhere near.
“Any parent who thought their child’s welfare was at risk would have wanted answers from the school.
“I will be appealing the conviction.”
