UK teacher ’sprayed Asian pupils with air freshener for smelling of curry’

LONDON - A nursery teacher in Britain has been accused of humiliating her Asian pupils by spraying air freshener over them because they smelled of curry in the mornings.

Elizabeth Davies, 48, who taught children aged from three to six, is said to have accused Bangladeshi children of smelling of onions or curry and would say, “There is a waft coming in from paradise”.

Davies is also accused of spraying air freshener on other children who broke wind, washing their hands with pine disinfectant and making them stand on newspaper for accidentally wetting themselves.

Her treatment of the children came to light after a parent complained, which lead to an investigation.

“Mrs Davies would wash the children’s hands in a bowl containing pine disinfectant. She would spray air freshener almost daily,” the Daily Mail quoted learning support assistant Jan Islam as telling the hearing.

“Children would sit on the carpet. If they had broken wind she would stand above them and spray air freshener at them. I’ve also done this myself on her direction. She would get me to spray it over them.

“If a child came in smelling in of onion or curry she would say: ‘There is a waft coming in from paradise’,” she stated.

Islam, a mother-of-two, said the spray was “usually” for children who spoke English as a second language.

South Wales Police launched an investigation after a parent of one of the children made a formal complaint that it was an assault, but they said Davies would not be facing any charges in connection with the complaints.

Davies, of Cilfrew, Neath, was suspended on full pay for 18 months while an investigation was carried out. She was later dismissed. (ANI)