Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Ruaraidh Gilmour & Claire Galloway

Scots teacher accused of having sex with pupil after boozy prom night

A former Scots pupil has claimed he had sex with his PE teacher after he had drank pints, wine, rum and shots at prom.

The pupil, known only as Pupil A, gave evidence relating to a list of allegations made against teacher Melissa Tweedie on Monday, February 7.

Miss Tweedie, who was 23 at the time, is alleged to have partied with pupils at SWG3 nightclub in Glasgow before going back with them to a Premier Hotel in June 2017.

The former PE teacher at Gleniffer High School in Paisley, Renfrewshire, allegedly danced inappropriately with pupils before sleeping with the pupil, who was 18.

Gleniffer High School (Google)

The pupil today told the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) that he "felt sorry" that Miss Tweedie, 27, is being investigated over the event.

However, in a statement he admitted kissing Miss Tweedie in a hotel room before going downstairs to his hotel room and having sex.

The pupil revealed how he had consumed around three or four pints, a bottle of wine, some spirits, rum and shots before having sex with Miss Tweedie in his hotel room.

He claims Miss Tweedie, who now lives in Dubai and works as a yoga teacher, stayed the night in the room before leaving around 8am the following day.

Speaking at the GTCS hearing, Pupil A said: "We had no dealings prior to the prom.

"There were no relations before.

"Miss Tweedie was sat at our table.

"Miss Tweedie was not drinking at the table, I was."

After the prom, students had booked rooms in a Premier Inn that was walking distance from SWG3.

Pupil A said: "I did not invite Miss Tweedie to the hotel.

"I don't know how she got there.

Pupil A said he entered a hotel room in the Premier Inn where he found nine pupils and Miss Tweedie.

After a noise complaint to the room, Pupil A said: "Me and Miss Tweedie were the only two left in the room.

"We kissed, no one initiated it.

"We went downstairs and had sex in my room.

"She stayed the night and we both left at eight.

"I feel really sorry for Miss Tweedie, I had already handed in my leavers form.

"In my eyes it wasn't a student event.

"This could have happened on a night out."

During cross-examination from the panel, Pupil A said how much he had to drink: "I had a lot, It was my prom.

"I might have had three or four pints, then a bottle of wine, then onto spirits, maybe a couple of rums and there were shots in between."

Pupil A asked the panel if he could ask them some questions, before saying: "In my eyes this was an issue involving only two parties.

"This wasn't an issue raised by any party.

"When do I get to raise my feelings about what happened?

"In my eyes it was not an issue I wanted to raise.

"It was an issue that people wanted to raise for me.

"I have never been asked how I feel about it."

Miss Tweedie, who was not present at the hearing, is alleged to have had drunk shots before telling pupils: "Can we for a minute act like I'm not a teacher".

It is claimed a pupil stumbled across the teacher in bed with a male pupil at a Premier Inn later on that night and told them: "Technically I haven't touched him yet".

Miss Tweedie faces being struck off the register by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) following the allegations.

The allegations read: "Between 7 June 2017 and 8 June 2017, whilst employed by Renfrewshire Council as a PE

"Teacher at Gleniffer High School, at the senior prom and immediately thereafter, you danced inappropriately with pupils during the prom, including making inappropriate physical contact whilst dancing with them at SWG3, Glasgow.

"[You] kissed Pupil A at the hotel in which pupils were staying for the night, the Premier Inn Hotel and engaged in sexual intercourse with Pupil A after the prom, at the Premier Inn.

"[You drank a shot (or shots) at the bar of SWG3, behaved in an inappropriate manner in a hotel room at the Premier Inn by drinking alcohol in the presence of pupils and stating words to the effect of 'Can we for a minute act like I'm not a teacher' to a pupil(s)."

Further allegations state the teacher "was alone on a bed with Pupil A and, when Pupil E entered the room, stated to Pupil E words to the effect of: 'Technically I haven't touched him yet'.

"[You] were under the influence of alcohol to the point of being inebriated in the presence of pupils in the Premier Inn [and] had awareness that an ex-pupil was in possession of drugs and did not report this to the appropriate authorities."

Tweedie is also alleged to have told the headteacher at the school that she was at home when she was at the Premier Inn.

Heather Prentice, Deputy Head of Gleniffer High School revealed her side of the story from the prom evening in 2017.

The 60-year-old said: "I had concerns about Melissa from the start of the dance regarding her outfit.

"Later in the evening I saw her up dancing with a glass of wine.

"She was up with a group of sixth year pupils."

She claims she saw: "Pupil A and her taking shots at the bar."

When it was time to leave the prom, Prentice asked Tweedie how she was getting home.

The Deputy Head recounted: "She said she was getting a black hack [home].

"I told her I would arrange something for her.

"I told Melissa that there was a lift organised (another teacher agreed to take her home)."

When it was time for Tweedie to leave Prentice claimed she was unable to find her: "I was told that she had left with sixth year pupils.

"I caught up to her on Kelvinhaugh Street.

"She was very reluctant to take advice and come with us.

"We couldn't make her come with us, so we had to let her go."

The Deputy said she was called by a colleague to a hotel across the river from SWG3.

"I got to the hotel across the river at about 2:15am.

"Staff were checking CCTV to see if Melissa was there.

"Pupils had said that they had seen her in a room drinking alcohol.

"Mr Nicholls [Head Teacher] asked Melissa to send a ping to her location.

"She did not reply."

When replying to the presenting officer's cross examination from Gary Burton she said in relation to her outfit: "I do remember it was quite loose, short, low cut.

"I do remember that she looked like she was going on a night out."

When asked about the nature of the dancing she said: "It was all male pupils she was dancing with.

"I didn't see any contact between her and any pupil."

On her level of inebriation she said: "She was not that drunk that she couldn't walk.

"She was not that drunk that she was out of control.

"I told her she needed to be more careful here and the way she was seeing the situation was not the way the pupils were seeing it.

"I wanted her to recognise that the pupils were getting a bit titillated by it."

Arthur Stewart, the Convener of the hearing then asked if she thought that she had actually spoken to her flatmate on the phone to get them to pick her up.

Prentice said: "With hindsight, I wasn't sure it was her flatmate on the phone.

"I'm trying to say I think she was on the phone to the sixth year pupil [Pupil A].

"I haven't got anything to back that up other than that she was blowing kisses and saying 'love, love.'"

Another pupil who was present at the prom was heard by the GTCS this afternoon.

The pupil recounted: "I was sitting at my table and I remember a chat between teachers that she needed to calm down."

She then spoke about what she saw when she was staying at the Premier Inn after the night: "I went back into the room as everyone was leaving to get a drink.

"Pupil A had his arms around the base of her back and she said to me 'Can we just pretend for a minute like I'm not your teacher'.

"I left because it was quite weird.

"I went down the stairs for some food and I saw Mr Nicholls.

"He said 'where is she, where is she?'

"I think he meant Miss Tweedie."

When being cross examined by Presenting Officer Gary Burton, she said: "They were sitting on the edge of the double bed.

"She was competent enough to say 'can we just pretend for a minute like I'm not your teacher' to me."

The pupil also recalled how "Mr Nicholls looked quite startled."

Police Scotland was alerted to the incident and investigated it at the time.

They found that no criminality had taken place.

The hearing continues.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.