Gareth Humes is the bus conductor for Stella Maris School we told you about on Friday night. He’s accused of assaulting a 14 year old with special needs in the face. Of course, there are two sides to a story. The child has an anger management problem – and last week he told us plainly that Gareth Humes was staring at him in a way he did not like. They started to fight and both were injured.
The fourteen year old told 7News that after the bus conductor choked him he bit Gareth Humes and stab him in the hand with an afro pick. Later on, they moved to the principal’s office where Gareth Humes punched the student in his mouth But like we said, two sides...and today Gareth Humes showed us the injuries he received. But he’s the adult and today he showed us a letter of dismissal given to him by the school’s board of directors. The board found that Humes could have avoided physical confrontation by walking away and reporting the matter. More disturbing is that the letter also indicates that it was not the first time that his actions have been called into question. With that, the board recommended his immediate termination.
Today Humes who had been working as the school’s bus conductor for just over two years explained why he should keep his job and why his actions – however rash – were justified.
Gareth Humes, Fired
“I don’t agree with it because then at this point in time I’ve been dealing with those kids for over two years and five months and you can’t tell me I don’t know to take care of kids and things because then what
happened to me, that happened physically from this kid and then I wasn’t speaking to the kid, I was speaking to some other kids and he’s been rude from the time I’ve been working there. He approached me and he inflicted the injuries. He juked me up on my hand with an afro-pick and he bite me and when he bite me he didn’t want to let me go, his teeth were going deeper down in my muscle, like he was trying to pull out the piece.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
It states here in the letter that you need to realize that you are working with children with special needs, even though this is not rational for them to display unacceptable behaviour but there is a need for sensitivity and compassion on your behalf as one of the employees, as an adult who works with children with special needs. Do you believe you should have approached this matter in a different way?
Gareth Humes,
“Well at the moment it happened so fast, there was no way I could have approached it in a different way from what happened there. I didn’t want it to happen but that is the way it happened. I get mad and everything because he juked me up, my blood is coming, and he bite out my muscle and come on, everybody is human, I would want to know what you would do. If you were in my shoes, I would want to know what you would do.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
If there was a previous altercation between you and this student and you were told as you claim to go into the principal’s office, when you reached the principal’s office and you saw the same kid you were just in altercation with, why didn’t you just leave the room?
Gareth Humes,
“Well the boss told us to wait in there.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
But I am sure the principal would understood if you had stayed outside.
Gareth Humes,
“How it happened, I didn’t want it to happen. I was not far away from him, he was still talking and I told him to shut up because he already juked me up and he didn’t have respect and different thing and with that he went down into his pocket and like to sit up in front of this other teacher and hauled up his hand like he wanted to do me something and he had already made my blood coming and then I punched in the right side of his jaw but I didn’t hit him hard. I went to court and they charged me for common assault for him. I have a medical paper for the wounds he put on me and I am going to press charges too.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
There is the other allegation made by the child’s guardian that you tried to burn down her house. Is this the case?
Gareth Humes,
“That is very totally wrong because that night when she said that, I was home with my woman in the bed. We were sleeping. We were wrapped up tight doing it all night. I don’t know why she said something like that on me because I don’t even know where these people live.”
The thirty eight year old Humes was charged with common assault on the minor. He has not been charged in connection with the attempt arson on the residence of Tanya Panting that matter we understand is still under investigation. According to the child’s aunt Tanya Panting, the school board has recommended that the student receives independent counselling and that he returns to school in September.
