TEACHING ASSISTANT GUILTY OF CHILD CRUELTY
Update 13/05/2026: A teaching assistant has been jailed for four years after spitting at a child and pinching another pupil's nose at a school.Kent Police said it launched an investigation after colleagues saw Danuska Pullia, 47, hitting, pinching and spitting at pupils at the school in Sittingbourne between September 2021 and July 2023.
Pullia, of Iwade, pleaded not guilty to four counts of child cruelty, but was convicted of all charges following a trial in November.
She was handed the prison term at Maidstone Crown Court ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… A teaching assistant at a special needs school has been found guilty of child cruelty after subjecting four pupils to acts of physical abuse that included pinching, hitting and spitting.
Danuska Pullia, whose conduct also involved her "hooking" her fingers in one youngster's mouth and bending thumbs in an effort to "control," was unanimously convicted on Monday (Nov 24) following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court She had denied four charges of child cruelty in respect of four pupils at the educational establishment in Sittingbourne, and as the verdicts were announced, her victims' families could be heard crying as they sat in the public gallery.
She will now be sentenced on February 6, once medical and probation reports have been prepared for the court.
The offence of child cruelty carries a maximum jail term of 14 years, following a law change in 2022 which increased it from 10 years.
Pullia, of White Satin Close, Iwade, was suspended since the allegations.
During her trial, she was said to have left her victims, all with complex needs, in pain and with bruises.
Several had given evidence and expressed anger and disappointment in the failure to safeguard their children.
Pullia accepted some behavior when interviewed by police but pleaded not guilty in court, denying harming the children.
The abuse occurred between September 2021 and July 2023.
During the trial, she became ill and provided a medical note for depression; she attended court in a wheelchair afterward.
The court warned her that serious offences had been committed and an all-options report, including imprisonment, would be considered for sentencing.
The law change in 2022 increased the child cruelty maximum jail time from 10 to 14 years.
She was instructed not to work with children or vulnerable adults while on bail.
Evidence included her leaving children in pain, with cuts, red marks, and bruises, and her reaction to incidents such as spitting, pinching, and hitting.
She claimed incidents did not happen or were necessary for safety, stating her actions were guided or last-resort, and that her spitting was accidental.
Her conduct included leaving her victims in pain and flinching around her, which prosecutors deemed unacceptable, especially given her responsibility in caring for vulnerable children.
