A former teaching assistant has been jailed after admitting to abusing pupils at a school in Sittingbourne, Kent, in incidents spanning nearly two years.
Danuska Pullia, 47, was found guilty of child cruelty after a jury trial at Maidstone Crown Court and sentenced to four years in prison.
In voluntary police interview footage, Pullia is heard describing how she spat in a child’s face during an incident at the school between September 2021 and July 2023.
She told officers she could not fully recall why she carried out the act, but claimed the pupil had spat at her first.
In the same interview, she also admitted to pinching a child’s nose, initially claiming it was done in an attempt to remove plastic from the child’s mouth. She later demonstrated the action during questioning, before insisting she “didn’t really pinch his nose”.
A full investigation was launched after staff at the school raised concerns and reportedly witnessed inappropriate behaviour by Pullia.
She denied four counts of child cruelty when first charged in December 2023, but was later convicted in November 2025.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Hollie Kent said Pullia had been entrusted with the care of vulnerable children but “utterly failed” in her duty.
She added that the abuse had a lasting impact on the victims, many of whom were unable to report what had happened at the time.
Authorities said Pullia posed a risk to children and welcomed the court’s decision, stating the conviction ensures she will be kept away from working with minors for a significant period.
