Katherine Scouler: Respected Scottish Teacher Takes Her Own Life After Being Accused Of Assault
A languages teacher at Hawick High School in Scotland is believed to have taken her own life just days before she was due to stand trial over an accusation of assault while confiscating a mobile phone from a pupil.
53-year-old Katherine Scouler, a teacher at Hawick High School in the Scottish borders, was due to appear in court on Thursday, but tragically died the previous weekend.
It has been reported that the respected teacher and mother-of-two was involved in an incident with a student where she attempted to confiscate a mobile phone and accidentally caught the girl's hair.
Mrs Scouler's colleagues at the school are said to have been "furious" with the way the teacher was treated and by the lack of support from the Scottish Borders Council - her employer.
Her distraught family said: "Her sudden death has left us completely devastated. No words can express the sense of loss we feel about her passing."
Mrs Scouler was found suffering from severe injuries by her husband Michael in the early hours of February 4. She was rushed to Borders General Hospital but tragically died three days later.
The teacher was suspended by the school in October after a complaint was made to the police over the incident involving the pupil and the mobile phone.
On January 30, Mrs Scouler denied pulling the girl's hair and "striking her on the head" at Jedburgh Sheriff's Court.
The Crown Office has now confirmed that no further legal proceedings will be pursued against Mrs Scouler.
A spokesperson said: "We have received a death report in relation to this individual. This brings active proceedings against them to an end."
Borders Council issued a statement, saying: "We are deeply saddened by the death of Katherine Scouler. Our thoughts are with her family.
"Katherine was a valued member of the Hawick High School community. Arrangements are in place to support colleagues or pupils affected by this news."
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 3.50am on February 4 to attend an incident at an address on the High Street, Hawick.
"We dispatched two ambulances and a female patient was transported to the Borders General Hospital." A Police Scotland spokesman said: "At around 3.55am on Saturday, February 4, police attended a concern for a person at an address on High Street in Hawick.
"A 53-year-old woman was taken to hospital following the incident. She subsequently died in hospital on Tuesday, February 7.
"There are no suspicious circumstances and a reported will be submitted to the procurator fiscal."
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