JAMES SMITH, DUNDEE ART TEACHER, CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS AGAINST FEMALE PUPILS
A manipulative art teacher has been convicted of multiple indecent and sexual assaults against female students.The court heard that James Skelton Smith, 57, would often drop his pencil during lessons, only to crawl underneath desks.
After a three-day trial, Smith, from Dundee, was found guilty of indecent assault, sexual assault, and breach of the peace.
The offenses spanned over an 11-year period from 2008 to 2019, involving both current and former pupils.
Sheriff John Rafferty delayed sentencing until next month to receive background reports.
Addressing Smith, the sheriff stated, "I found the Crown witnesses to be credible and reliable, in the main exceedingly impressive witnesses, and in some instances courageous witnesses.
The case against you is compelling." Smith showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
It was revealed that he had been suspended from his teaching role at the school, where he worked part-time instructing expressive art, for nine months, and that he will now lose his job.
During the trial, three young female students described Smith as "creepy," recounting how he would repeatedly drop his pencil and crawl under their tables on his hands and knees, often staring at their legs.
One former pupil said she left school early in her sixth year in 2009 because she began to feel that he was steering their relationship into uncomfortable territory.
Another ex-student explained that she had "played dead" after Smith, who taught there for 25 years, touched her inappropriately at his house after meeting him in Dundee.
Smith denied all allegations, comparing the account of a 17-year-old pupil he kissed to "Alice Through The Looking Glass." However, prosecutor Laura Bruce stated, "He treated her in a way that made her feel grown up and feel special - and then he pounced."
