Science teacher gave student alcohol and signed card 'with a kiss'
A science teacher from South Wales has been fined after giving an underage pupil a Christmas card signed with a kiss and a can of Malibu cocktail, a court has heard.
Richard James Pugh, 41, who was head of science at Llangatwg Community School in Neath, presented the gifts to the schoolgirl during school time in early January 2025.
Court hears details of inappropriate gifts
Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court was told that Pugh placed a gift bag containing the alcoholic drink, biscuits, cold coffee, a Nando's voucher, and a vape into the child's school bag.
The card was signed 'from your best buddy' and included a kiss, the court heard during proceedings in November 2025.
In evidence given via video link, the pupil described how Pugh's attention left her feeling anxious, isolated, and unsafe in school.
'I was constantly looking over my shoulder as if there was no escape from his presence,' she stated. 'I felt vulnerable and exposed and ashamed and a fear of being judged.'
Teacher's defence rejected by court
Pugh, of Regent Street, Aberaman, initially denied supplying a minor with alcohol but later changed his plea to guilty.
However, the teacher of 13 years claimed he hadn't personally given the items to the student in a gift bag, instead suggesting she had taken them herself from a selection of unwanted classroom gifts.
He told the court the Malibu had been purchased for his cleaner and was merely stored in the classroom.
When challenged by prosecutor Jonathan Evans about whether he had formed an inappropriate relationship with the pupil, Pugh simply replied: 'No.'
District Judge Neil Thomas dismissed Pugh's version of events, stating: 'There was nothing of any credibility in his evidence and he could not tell the truth even at this late stage.'
Consequences and sentencing
Pugh was fined £500 and ordered to pay a £200 court surcharge plus £650 in prosecution costs.
He was also made subject to a 12-month restraining order and warned that breaking it could result in a five-year prison sentence.
The court heard that Pugh is now unemployed and does not intend to return to the teaching profession.
The victim stated in her impact statement that the incident had affected her education and that Pugh 'refuses to take responsibility for what he did.'
