A PE teacher accused of sleeping with a Pupil claimed she was handed a spiked glass of white wine before passing out on a hotel bed, a tribunal has heard.
Melissa Tweedie, 22 at the time, faces being struck off the teaching register after an 18-year-old allegedly had sex with her at a Premier Inn after his prom at SWG3 in Glasgow in June 2017.
The 27-year-old, who now works as a yoga teacher in Dubai, is also said to have danced inappropriately with pupils from Gleniffer High School in Paisley, Scotland.
Education manager for Renfrewshire Council Susan Bell today gave evidence to the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
Ms Bell, who investigated the claims at the time, said Ms Tweedie told her she went to the hotel after being alarmed over a pupil allegedly having cocaine.
The PE teacher was left ‘alarmed’ after a bag of cocaine was allegedly ‘waved in her face’, before being invited upstairs for a glass of Echo Falls white wine.
Ms Tweedie, who said the next part she remembers is ‘jolting up in the bed’, concluded her drink had been spiked, the panel heard.
Melissa Tweedie (pictured above), 22 at the time, faces being struck off the teaching register after an 18-year-old allegedly had sex with her at a Premier Inn after his prom at SWG3 in Glasgow in June 2017
The 27-year-old, who now works as a yoga teacher in Dubai, is also said to have danced inappropriately with pupils from Gleniffer High School in Paisley, Scotland
Colleagues said the former PE teacher was ‘shimmying up and down’ the pupil, known only as Pupil A, at the event before allegedly being found in bed with them.
A statement from Ms Tweedie at the time read: ‘I saw what appeared to be a bag of cocaine waved in my face, it was highly alarming and that is why I did not go home with my flatmate.
‘I should have walked back to tell the other staff and I should have called the police. Pupils were saying ‘Miss, come upstairs for a drink, it’ll only be one.’
‘I was given one glass of Echo Falls white wine by a girl.
‘The next part that is clear is jolting up in the bed, I can’t see any face in my memory but I woke up and said what are you doing here?’
Ms Bell later told the GTCS panel: ‘She (Ms Tweedie) had come to the conclusion that her drink had been spiked and that she would not have engaged in sexual intercourse as it was her time of the month.’
She added: ‘I do believe she was very remorseful, she was upset during the hearing, it is a horrible position for anyone to find themselves in, I do believe she regretted what happened.
‘She didn’t feel she had been inappropriate at the prom, others didn’t agree but my understanding was that she felt she had been behaving appropriately.
Colleagues said the former PE teacher was ‘shimmying up and down’ the pupil, known only as Pupil A, at the event before allegedly being found in bed with them
‘When she mentioned the drugs it was totally out of left field, nobody else had mentioned that, I was knocked sideways and had to think on my feet how to move.
‘I thought it sounded ludicrous and I had to consider all the facts and that is what I was doing.
‘She was upset and embarrassed but she denied having sex, it was a matter of fact denial. It was an adamant denial.’
A pupil who attended the prom and was staying at the hotel also gave evidence to the GTCS today.
The former Gleniffer High School student, known as Pupil B, said he saw Ms Tweedie at the Premier Inn and felt ‘it can’t be right’ she was there with pupils.
He spoke of how pupils discussed with one another the dangers that came from a teacher being alone with pupils in a hotel after midnight.
The pupil said: ‘After prom a number of us walked back to the Premier Inn, I can’t remember if Pupil A was there at the time.
‘We were talking about how risky it was for Ms Tweedie to be in a room with pupils. Just the fact she was back in the hotel and there was no other teacher present.
‘I had also seen Miss Prentice trying to get her back to SWG3 and seeing her there in the hotel. I thought “this can’t be right”.
‘I was in the room with a number of pupils, I knew Mr Nicholls quite well from playing football so it could have been myself that called him.
‘I just remember being in the room and trying to get someone to come and get Ms Tweedie from the hotel.’
A statement from Ms Tweedie at the time read: ‘I saw what appeared to be a bag of cocaine waved in my face, it was highly alarming and that is why I did not go home with my flatmate’
Police Scotland were alerted to the incident at the time and found that no criminality had taken place (Ms Tweedie pictured)
The pupil was also asked if at any point during the course of the evening at prom and the walk to the Premier Inn he had seen any evidence of drugs.
He replied: ‘No, none at all.’
Ms Tweedie faces being struck off the register by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) following the allegations.
Ex-headteacher David Nicholls yesterday said he received a call around 2am on prom night from an ‘alarmed’ pupil who said Ms Tweedie was in the hotel with a pupil.
The now-retired head drove to a Premier Inn in Glasgow to track down Miss Tweedie, but was not allowed past the foyer.
He said he finally managed to reach Ms Tweedie on the phone who told him she was at home.
Ms Tweedie is alleged to have partied with pupils at SWG3 nightclub (file photo above) in Glasgow in June 2017 before going to the nearby Premier Inn hotel
However, the following day Mr Nicholls said the pupil who was in the room alleged he had slept with the Glasgow teacher.
The pupil gave evidence relating to the allegations on Monday, saying: ‘I did not invite Ms Tweedie to the hotel. I don’t know how she got there.’
Referring to the pair going downstairs to his own hotel room, the pupil said: ‘Me and Ms Tweedie were the only two left in the room.
‘We kissed, no one initiated it. We went downstairs and had sex in my room. She stayed the night and we both left at eight.
‘I feel really sorry for Miss Tweedie, I had already handed in my leavers form. In my eyes it wasn’t a student event.’
Police Scotland were alerted to the incident at the time and found that no criminality had taken place.
The hearing continues.
