Teacher found guilty of pupil’s suicide

School teacher from St. Petersburg has been found guilty of causing a schoolboy's suicide. Roman Lebedev was found dead on a railway platform in September 2005.

A note in the boy's pocket said the teacher, Vera Novak, continuously insulted him because he was unable to contribute money for classroom repairs. She made him clean the classroom to compensate.

By the Court decision Novak has received a four year suspended detention. She will also pay the compensation of 300,000 rubles to the boy’s grandmother and 60,000 more for insult of the boy’s honour and dignity. Moreover, two other students filed similar complaints and they will also receive the compensation. The teacher will be unable to take position connected with education for the next three years.

“This sentence is the fairest I could expect. Of course, the lawyers did everything to delay it, so the case would be out of date. But at least the judge acted humanly,” Tamara Belozerova, the boy’s grandmother, said.