Third man sentenced over abuse after Panorama probe

A third man has been prosecuted in connection with assaults on pupils at a school in Merseyside.

Oliver Nugent, 27, from Irby, pleaded guilty to assault by beating after a Panorama investigation revealed bullying and assaults on pupils at the LIFE School in New Brighton, Wirral .

Nugent was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, at Sefton Magistrates's Court earlier.

Two men have previously been prosecuted in connection with the investigation.

Nugent was also ordered to carry out 25 days of rehabilitation activity, along with 200 hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £200 compensation.

An undercover Panorama reporter, Sasha Hinde was employed as a staff member at the school for around seven weeks, from March to May 2024.

She covertly recorded several incidents at the school which resulted in the programme, Panorama: Cruelty in the Classroom, which was aired on 17 June 2024.

The documentary triggered a police investigation and three people were arrested and charged.

Elliot Millar, 22, from Liscard, Wallasey, pleaded guilty to five charges, including two charges of common assault, two charges of assault by beating and a charge of using threatening words, likely to cause alarm or distress, at Sefton Magistrates' Court on 18 November 2024.

He was jailed for 12 weeks.

The judge at the hearing described Millar's treatment of some of the pupils at the school as "cruel bullying", "gratuitous degradation" and an abuse of trust.

Daniel McNulty-Doyle, 22, from Little Neston, Cheshire, was employed as a wellbeing coach at the school and had worked there since October 2022.

He was found guilty after a trial at Sefton Magistrates' Court on 27 March 2024 of using threatening, abusive behaviour, likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He was convicted after a full trial on 27 March 2025.

This offence is punishable by a fine only and he was fined £250, with £50 compensation to the victim.

The defendants all claimed to have had a lack of training for their roles and claimed much of the alleged threatening behaviour as "banter".

Victims' personal statements to the court highlighted the impact of the offending on the pupils and their families.

Senior Crown Prosecutor Matthew Dixon, of CPS Mersey Cheshire said: "Life School was offering educational provision for students with additional needs.

"That should have ensured high levels of care and support but instead, these three men, betrayed that trust.

"They exploited the vulnerabilities of the pupils for their own entertainment."

He said there was no doubt that, if this behaviour had not been caught on camera by the undercover reporter, this treatment of the pupils by these men would have continued.

"Thankfully, the footage captured by the reporter and the evidence gathered by Merseyside Police during the investigation helped us to bring all three men to justice," he said.

Mr Dixon said the CPS wanted to thank the victims and their families for supporting the prosecution.

Additional reporting by Kelly Foran

Panorama - Undercover School : Cruelty In The Classroom

Watch the full investigation on BBC iPlayer.

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