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Teacher rang ChildLine pretending to be schoolgirl in devious ploy to frame colleague as paedophile

Calculated: Sheena Boll, 35, appeared at Thames Magistrates Court: Met Police
Calculated: Sheena Boll, 35, appeared at Thames Magistrates Court: Met Police

A teacher phoned ChildLine and pretended to be a schoolgirl in a devious ploy to frame a fellow teacher as a paedophile.

Newham teacher Sheena Boll, 35, impersonated a 14-year-old girl when she rang up the NSPCC advice line claiming she had been sexually abused.

Pretending to be a pupil during the hoax call, Boll said a male special needs worker at the school – one of her own colleagues – had groped her breast.

Police quickly launched an investigation into the school worker but when officers traced the source of the ChildLine call, the adult Boll was identified.

Suspended sentence: Sheena Boll, of Woodstock Road in east London, was given an 11 week suspended prison sentence. (Met Police)
Suspended sentence: Sheena Boll, of Woodstock Road in east London, was given an 11 week suspended prison sentence. (Met Police)

The police investigation unearthed a history of the mother-of-one making numerous complaints against employees of organisations and businesses.

Boll was sacked from the school and other teachers jumped to the defence of the falsely-accused worker, praising his teaching and positive interaction with students.

In a victim impact statement, the wronged teacher said: “I found out that an anonymous call had been made to ChildLine naming me as a paedophile, in that I had groped the breast of a student.

“I just didn't know what to do to convince people that I would never do anything like that to a child - the thought sickens and angers me.

"I felt sick to the stomach and found the whole experience really stressful.

“I felt like my reputation had been tarnished and I was really distressed and even depressed as a result. I care a lot about what people think of me and I love teaching and making a positive impact on young lives."

Detective Constable Ben Land said: "Cases of false claims like this are rare, but do enormous damage to individuals.

"This was a calculated attempt to deceive professionals who are committed to safeguarding the most vulnerable children into believing that this hardworking, dedicated and caring colleague in her school was responsible for abuse against one of their pupils.

"Fortunately Boll's efforts to mask her true identity were unsuccessful and we have received a positive outcome with the conviction and restoration of the professional reputation of the victim."

Boll, of Woodstock Road in east London, appeared at Thames Magistrates Court and was given a sentence of 11 weeks suspended for two years.

She was also ordered to undertake community service of 200 hours and ordered to pay costs and compensation to the victim.

During the sentencing, last Tuesday, January 24, Boll was also placed on an overnight curfew with an electronic tag.