Subj: Pupils 'were given joint of cannabis by teacher'

Date: Feb 24, 1998

Source: The Times

Pupils 'were given joint of cannabis by teacher'

BY RUSSELL JENKINS

A HISTORY teacher passed a cannabis joint around a
group of pupils during a school outing, a court in
Manchester was told yesterday.

Gary Robinson, 43, was looking after a party of children
on a charity cycle ride from Morecambe to Scarborough.

He shared the joint with at least three pupils after he
bumped into them during an overnight stop at York
University, Minshull Street Crown Court was told.

One of the pupils had already visited Mr Robinson's home
in Droylsden, near Manchester, where the teacher would
roll joints, it was alleged. Once he had taken the
youngster, known to the court as Boy A, to a local beauty
spot to smoke the drug. He was one of 30 boys taking
part in the cycle ride in October 1996. The school cannot
be named for legal reasons.

Mr Robinson denies four charges of supplying cannabis to
Boy A and one of supplying the drug to another pupil.

Howard Baisden, for the prosecution, said that Boy A
had quarrelled with another teacher when he and two
other pupils came across Mr Robinson and a friend,
known as "Hippy Paul", near an ornamental lake. He said:
"Paul said to the defendant, 'Do you want to wait until
they have gone to bed?' But the defendant said, 'Just do it
now.' Then cannabis was produced, rolled into a joint and
passed around the group."