A college where social distancing was flouted and a lockdown-busting Christmas party was thrown today became the first education employer in Britain to be found to have broken health and safety laws after a teacher died with coronavirus.
Donna Coleman, 42, had her life support machine switched off in January last year after catching coronavirus on December 14 2020 having felt forced to return to Burnley College, whose staff were encouraged not to report their 'close contacts' if they caught the killer virus.
On December 18, just four days after Donna tested positive along with at least one other colleague, a boozy and illegal Christmas party was thrown 'for all staff' when there was a strict ban on gatherings.
Footage of the party later emerged showing a half-naked staff member wearing a Santa jacket and elf's tights belting out a painful karaoke rendition of 'It's Raining Men' in front of an assembled cheering crowd of teachers and staff who sang along and filmed it. A fireworks display on the sports pitches followed, but it is not clear if people there were fined by police.
