Panto baddie is a real-life villain: Teacher in dock for attack on wife
A SCHOOL teacher who plays villains in pantomimes has admitted attacking his wife at their home.
Amateur actor Iain Usher has admitted attacking his wife at their home
Amateur actor Iain Usher has played characters including Fagin in Oliver and Jafar in Aladdin.
But now Usher, 38, is suspended from his role as a teacher at Howwood Primary School, in Renfrewshire, after assaulting his 47-year-old wife, Catherine.
He admitted attacking his wife, who is also a primary school teacher, at their £220,000 home in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, in November.
Usher, who is a Primary 7 teacher, was arrested and was facing trial at Paisley Sheriff Court.
He was suspended from his job pending the court case and is currently the subject of a disciplinary investigation by his employers, Renfrewshire Council.
We can confirm that a teacher at Howwood Primary has been suspended
Sheriff Tom McCartney was told that Usher had lashed out following an argument.
The court heard that Usher assaulted Catherine, who is a teacher at St Paul’s Primary in Paisley, by striking her on the face.
After hearing from defence solicitor Waqqas Ashraf that Usher had lost his temper and was sorry for his actions, Sheriff McCartney chose not to jail him and admonished him.
Speaking after Usher’s court appearance, a worried parent, who asked not to be named, said it was a “big shock” – and that she didn’t want her children going to a school where a convicted criminal was a teacher.
A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: “We can confirm that a teacher at Howwood Primary has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.”
Iain Usher is a member of Johnstone Phoenix Theatre Group.
The couple could not be reached for comment yesterday.