‘Relieved’ families of vulnerable pupils speak out after teaching assistant from Iwade village found guilty of child cruelty

Victims’ families have spoken out about their relief after a jury found a special needs school teaching assistant guilty of child cruelty.

One mother told KentOnline the case has “consumed” their lives for more than two years.

Danuska Pullia had subjected four pupils to acts of physical abuse that included pinching, hitting and spitting at them.

The court heard how her conduct in the classroom left the youngsters in pain and with cuts, red marks and bruises. Some would even flinch if she approached them.

Pullia went on to be convicted 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 .

The abuse, committed between September 2021 and July 2023, was investigated after