A TEACHING assistant who used money raised for charity at a school event to pay off her son’s drug debts has been reprimanded, but will be able to continue working.

Caroline Hannigan raised £287 for the British Heart Foundation as part of a cross country event at Glanhowy Primary School, Tredegar, in February 2015.

Mrs Hannigan, who worked in the Blaenau Gwent school for about 23 years in different roles, had asked permission to the head teacher to carry out the fundraising, saying the charity was “close to her heart” as her daughter has a heart condition.

A Fitness to Practice hearing heard that she had intended to bank the money but that drug dealers turned up at her home, demanding to speak to her son who owed them money.

Jacquie Turnbull, chairman of the committee, said a reprimand was necessary to maintain confidence in the education system, due to the dishonesty of the actions of Mrs Hannigan.

But she said the committee was satisfied Mrs Hannigan had not planned to steal the money, and accepted her account that it was a “spur of the moment” decision, taken under extreme duress and under threats by drug dealers.

She added that Mrs Hannigan has a positive contribution to make to education as a teacher.

The hearing previously heard presenting officer Cadi Dewi tell the committee it was an “offence of dishonesty” and that Mrs Hannigan had only notified the school when it was inevitable the incident would come to light.

David Harris, representing Mrs Hannigan, said it was a “highly unusual and exceptional incident.”

“When Mrs Hannigan went home there was no intention to dispose of the money dishonestly,” he said.

He asked the committee to consider imposing a reprimand as a pose to a suspension, adding that it was not in the public interest to remove Mrs Hannigan from the profession.

He said Mrs Hannigan was under “extreme duress” at the time of the incident.

“It would be very difficult to envisage a repeat of this type of incident,” he added, saying that her son was now in full-time employment and had made efforts to change his behaviour.

Mrs Hannigan was arrested and in February 2016 was given a 12-month conditional discharge from Caerphilly Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to the offence of theft by an employee.

Mrs Hannigan – who now works as a supply teaching assistant – admits unacceptable professional misconduct.

She admits being dishonest when failing to arrange for the money collected to be paid to the charity and giving it to a drug dealer instead.

She denies she was being dishonest when failing to hand in the money collected to the school office and taking the money collected home.