Primary head held by police after drunken rammy

May 4 2008 By Charles Lavery

Exclusive Head In Cells As Son Hurt

A PRIMARY school head has been suspended after being accused of attacking her own son at a boozy party.

Muriel MacDonald, 47, was arrested at her island home after the bust-up with eldest son Sean, 21, and spent a night in a police cell.

The £50,000-a-year head of a tiny school on Lewis has now been suspended on full pay.

MacDonald escaped a jail sentence in 1997 when she appeared in court on charges of drunkenly driving her car at a police officer.

The Sunday Mail revealed how she was acquitted after two psychiatrists told the court she was clinically insane at the time.

She returned to her job at Bragar Primary School - which has a roll of just 26 - after the case and was then promoted to head teacher, provoking a furious reaction from parents.

Western Isles Council allowed her to return to her post but insiders claim the latest incident should be the final straw.

She answered the door of her home in Stornoway wearing sunglasses and seemed confused.

She said: "It's not true that I have been sacked and anyway I cannot speak to you about it. I'm not allowed to."

A Northern Constabulary spokesman confirmed MacDonald had appeared in court last October on assault and breach of the peace charges after the incident with her son Sean. She spent a night in the cells at Stornoway's police station.

She later admitted causing a breach of the peace but had her not guilty plea to assault accepted. Sentence was deferred for a year.

Locals were incensed that MacDonald walked back into her post after the previous court case.

One said: "She has had every chance possible and it's ridiculous that she was able to return to work after the last incident.

"They kept her in a job after a court of law said she was insane. You could not make it up.

"There was a party thrown by her son Sean at the house and it got way out of hand. She was immediately accused of assaulting him.

"It was a question of when, not if, she would lose the plot again.

"She drove a car at a police officer and got away with it.

"The woman is a liability and should not have been anywhere near children, never mind running a primary school."

No one at Western Isles Council was available to comment on the case yesterday.

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c.lavery@sundaymail.co.uk