Teenage gym hall killer was back at school weeks after admitting fatal attack

[Mikey]

TEACHERS at Knightswood Secondary were unaware that their new pupil Darren Taylor was awaiting sentence for culpable homicide after he pleading guilty to fatally punching Euan Craig.


Darren Taylor arriving at Glasgow High Court.

GYM hall killer Darren Taylor was secretly placed in a new school just weeks after he admitted a fatal attack on another pupil, we can reveal today.

Taylor spent three weeks at Knightswood Secondary in Glasgow after he pleaded guilty to punching 14-year-old Euan Craig to death.

His new classmates and their parents – as well as most teachers at Knightswood – were unaware the new pupil was awaiting sentence for culpable homicide.

A source close to the school said: “Only teachers who had direct contact with Taylor were told who he was.

“Parents will be shocked their children were taking classes with a convicted killer.”

Instead of being tutored at home while he waited to return to court, Taylor was moved from Rosshall Academy in Crookston – where the attack took place – and placed in Knightswood, which has around 1300 pupils.

Taylor, now 16, started at the school on September 3 last year, more than three months after he killed Euan.

On October 25, he pleaded guilty to culpable homicide but was allowed to remain in school until November 16.

The following week, he was sentenced to three and a half years detention by Lord Bracadale.

Taylor can now be identified after he turned 16 – the age of criminal responsibility under Scots law – last week.

Previously he had not been named because of rules which ensure that the identities of child criminals are kept secret.

Our source said: “Taylor’s arrival at Knightswood was conducted in complete secrecy.

“There should never have been any question about schooling him at home but instead, education officials put him back in the classroom.”

Taylor was 14 when he battered Euan in the school gym at Rosshall Academy in May 2012.

Both boys had been due to go to separate PE classes in adjoining gym halls.

Euan and his friends had been playing with a soft sponge ball used for shot put practice when it hit Taylor on the side of the face.

He began shouting: “What the f*** are you doing?” and Euan apologised, explaining it was an accident. But Taylor began raining blows on Euan, punching him on the head five times.

Throughout the attack Euan continued to apologise, telling Taylor: “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. It was an accident.”

Taylor walked away from the scene when a teacher arrived and Euan sat down on a bench.

Moments later, he slumped over and slid on to the floor. He died the following day.

The law states that Glasgow City Council were legally bound to provide Taylor with education, even after his guilty plea.

But experts say there was no requirement to place him in a busy comprehensive.

Warning: Contains inappropriate content Hide

Darren Taylor poses with baseball bat

Education law expert Patrick McGuire, from Thompsons Solicitors, said: “The state has a legal duty to provide education to every child.

“However, in circumstances where it is deemed inappropriate to provide that education in a school setting for reasons of child safety, or if a child is deemed to be a risk to others, home schooling or schooling in a secure environment is appropriate, according to legislation.”

Euan’s father Richard, 45, said: “Darren Taylor beat my son to death with his bare hands merely for accidentally hitting him with a soft sponge ball.

“What might have happened if a child at Knightswood had recognised him and confronted him for his actions?”

His wife Ann, 44, added: “There are still far too many unanswered questions.

“We’ve not been given adequate explanation as to why Euan’s class was left unsupervised without a teacher for so long that Taylor could come in from another classroom, attack my son and simply walk away.”

Shadow Justice Minister Graeme Pearson said: “We really need to challenge whether the right decision was taken to send Taylor to another school after he pleaded guilty to such a terrible crime, particularly as other pupils and parents were oblivious to what dangers they might have faced.

“Given the nature of the crime, consideration should have been given to tutoring Taylor at home.”

A school insider said that while Taylor’s move to Knightswood was kept from most parents, the chairman of the Parent Teacher Association was informed.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: “A multi-agency full risk assessment was carried out prior to the move and the parent council fully involved in the decision.

“As a council we have a duty of care to educate every child.”

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc...killer-2845208

What on earth? I went to Knightswood and if I was at school at the time I would of been terrified. Letting someone who killed another child at another school and letting him unleash and cause danger to other pupils and staff. Disgraceful, the council are fools..

[Futz]

That's really bad of them to put him in another school like seriously how can multiple people with so much power let this happen?

he looks like one of those kids that will never contribute to society but be a drain and danger to all

Although a child, i feel this kids behaviour goes deeper than some mental issues so 3.5 years detention doesn't seem like enough

also i read your "disgraceful, the council are fools" in the voice of gandalf

[AgnesIO]

Council are fools, and what a baby faced scum bag.

Shouldn't have been let within 500m of the school.

[Yawn]

KILLED someone with 5 punches to the head. thats scary and crazy

[-:Undertaker:-]

Ought to be locked up in a loony bin, clearly very violent and certainly not like any 14 year old I have ever known.

[AgnesIO]

Ought to be locked up in a loony bin, clearly very violent and certainly not like any 14 year old I have ever known.

We stopped sending our convicts to Australia years ago!

[Kardan]

Absolute madness! Hopefully now that parents are aware, they demand answers from the school and the council. It may be a 'duty of care' to educate every child (even though they said home schooling can be required in certain circumstances) but I'm pretty sure they have a 'duty of care' to protect children on the school premises.

Do the councillors in charge have no children?