A PUPIL at a North-East school was accused of lying as part of a plot to disgrace a teacher in order to win friends, a court was told.

Science teacher Ron Harbottle is accused of assaulting a year eight student by slapping him in the face at a school in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

The 56-year-old, who has worked at the school for 32 years, denies common assault.

A pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Consett magistrates, via video link, that he saw Mr Harbottle, of Killingworth, North Tyneside, jump out of his chair after another boy loudly told the girl next to him to stop nipping him.

He said the teacher picked the 12-year-old boy up by his school jumper, adding: "Mr Harbottle slapped him across the face and threw him against the wall, which was about six feet away.

"There were tears in his eyes and Mr Harbottle told him to go and stand in the corner."

Nick Cartmell, in mitigation, said the boys story did not tally with other pupils' version of events and said that it was a deliberate plot by five pupils to have the teacher sacked from the school.

He told the boy: "You are giving a dishonest and different account because you have not got the same congealed story as everyone else.

"You are doing this to fit in with a crowd.

"They are all part of a clique of people and you being a witness for them makes you part of their group of friends."

The case continues.