Teaching assistant who spat at pupil is jailed for child cruelty
A teaching assistant at a school in Sittingbourne has been jailed for spitting on a child and pinching the nose of another pupil.
Danuska Pullia, of Iwade, Kent, was sentenced to four years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday for four counts of cruelty to children.
The 47-year-old denied the allegations but Kent Police said he admitted to officers that he had spat at a boy who had spat at him and pinched another child’s nose to get a chocolate bar from his mouth.
“I reciprocated, but I can’t remember why I did it at the time or what happened,” he said in a video of the volunteer meeting released by the agency in July 2023.
When he pinched the other child’s nose to remove the food, he told officers he “wasn’t actually pinching” their nose.
When asked what training he needed to use this as a tactic, he answered “none.”
Kent Police began investigating him after colleagues reported he had hit, pinched and spat at students between September 2021 and July 2023.
Pullia pleaded not guilty to any of the charges against him in December 2023, but was found guilty after a trial in November last year.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Hollie Kent said: “Pullia was entrusted with the care of vulnerable children and completely failed in this responsibility.
“His actions have had a lasting impact on his victims, many of whom have been unable to speak for themselves about what happened. “We are hugely grateful to the families and guardians of the children affected for their support throughout our investigations.
“Pullia poses a danger to children and we are very pleased that our investigation has prevented her from wandering around for long.”
The woman, who was accused of four counts of cruelty to children in December 2023, pleaded not guilty to all crimes.
In November 2025, a jury at Maidstone Crown Court unanimously found him guilty of all charges. Pullia, of White Satin Close, Iwade, was sentenced to four years imprisonment at the same court on Friday, May 8, 2026.
