A Sydney boy who was allegedly assaulted by a teacher he likened to a "very, very bad" Roald Dahl character told police she pushed him hard against a classroom wall and swore, a court has heard.
When asked how he felt when he saw the teacher, who's since been charged with six counts of common assault, the boy compared her to Miss Trunchbull from the film adaptation of Matilda.
The 58-year-old teacher, who can't be named for legal reasons, faced a hearing at Liverpool Local Court on Thursday after pleading not guilty to her charges.
They relate to four children at a southwest Sydney school who were aged between eight and 10.
In a police interview played to the court, which was given before her 2018 arrest, the then eight-year-old boy said she'd pushed him against a classroom wall, "I think on top of my heart", and said in his ear to "F*** off".
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The teacher did it "as a secret inside" and it "felt frustrating" and hurt, the boy said.
In making the Miss Trunchbull comparison, the boy described her as a "very, very bad" teacher in the Matilda film.
On Thursday, the now nine-year-old testified via video link that the teacher was different around other staff.
She didn't grab him or hurt him and she pretended to be kind, he said.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Ian Fraser, he admitted to misbehaviour - including fighting with another student, throwing pencils and a basketball around the classroom and rubbing out the whiteboard when the teacher was trying to teach.
He said he'd heard another student tell her she looked like Donald Trump, and agreed he would sometimes run through a door when he wasn't meant to and bump into the teacher.
"You didn't like being told what to do, did you?," Mr Fraser said.
"No."
When the lawyer put it to the him that the teacher didn't say "f*** off", the boy said: "She did."
He agreed he was worried about getting in trouble with his dad, but denied making up that the teacher had grabbed him to avoid getting in trouble.
The hearing before magistrate Daniel Covington has been adjourned until May.
