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Victoria Derbyshire: 14/02/2012

14/02/2012

BBC Radio 5 Live - Victoria Derbyshire, 14/02/2012

Teacher who wrote a racy novel featuring her students has gross misconduct claims dropped.

Teacher who was sacked after she wrote a risque fictional novel featuring some of her students says she feels vindicated now claims of gross misconduct have been dropped.

A teacher who was sacked after she wrote a risque fictional novel featuring some of her 16 year old male students has had claims of gross misconduct against her dropped by the general teaching council. Leonora Rustamova worked at Calder High School in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire for eleven years and was sacked in Janurary 2009 after her book, which made sexual references and featured her pupils, fellow teachers and herself, was published by mistake online. The book was meant to resonate with the lifestyle of her students and included truancy and bad language. Two of its main characters were compared to "gorgeous Mr Gay UK finalists", and there's a reference to one of the pupils flirting with his teacher. According to Leonora Rustamova, the headteacher approved of the content of the book and the idea of writing it as a way to engage the disruptive pupils - but she was sacked after it appeared on the internet and was  accused of breaching teacher/pupil confidentiality. She's been called a pervert and sick - but others say she was inspirational.

Also Home Office officials are meeting with their counterparts in Jordan regarding Abu Qatada. The radical muslim preacher is under virtual house arrest after being released from Long Lartin high security prison in Worcestershire last night - under strict bail conditions. The government still wants to deport him to Jordan on terrorism charges, however the European Court of Human Rights has blocked the move for fear that evidence obtained through torture will be used against him. We speak to Manfred Nowak is the former UN Special Rapporteur against torture.

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Victoria Derbyshire

14/02/2012

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