PA
A female headteacher of a school for excluded pupils was arrested after allegedly getting into a drunken late-night row with a colleague at a train station, according to the Evening Standard.
Katrina Mann, 49, principal of a teaching centre in Dagenham for students expelled from other schools, was held by officers with fellow teacher Darren McCarthy, 38. They were outside Barking railway station after missing the last train home on January 26.
The pair have been charged with being drunk and disorderly in a public place and using threatening words and behaviour.
The pair appeared at Redbridge magistrates' court last month, where they denied the charges. They will be tried by magistrates in Havering on March 27.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of 12 months' jail or a £10,000 fine. They were both released on unconditional bail.
According to a report in the Evening Standard they refused to comment about the alleged incident.
But a friend of the pair told the newspaper:"It's all been blown out of proportion and as a result the school is having to operate without two dedicated members of staff."
A spokesman for Barking and Dagenham council said: "Ms Mann and Mr McCarthy are both on special leave pending court appearances and disciplinary investigation." The case continues.