A teacher driven into hiding in fear for his life was “totally and utterly failed”, a government adviser has said, after her review into social cohesion in England found he was “let down” by his school, council and police force amid a blasphemy lesson row.
Dame Sara Khan’s damning report, published this morning, accuses Batley Multi Academy Trust, Kirklees Council and West Yorkshire Police of failings relating to the high-profile case at Batley Grammar School, in Kirklees, in March 2021.
It saw protests erupt outside the school gates after the religious studies teacher showed year nine pupils “a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban containing a cartoon bomb” as part of a religious studies lesson.
He was subjected to a “campaign of intimidation and abuse”, including “incitement to violence against both him and his family” who feared for their lives. They had to move into temporary accommodation, with his children sleeping on mattresses and missing months of school.
