A teacher in New Zealand punched a 13-year-old student in the face after he was told he wore his moustache “like a paedophile would”.

The male teacher was playing at a college rugby game in 2018 while the student watched on, Newshub reported.

As he came off the field, the student allegedly made the paedophile comment.

The teacher asked if the student “wanted a smack in the face”, according to an agreed statement of facts.

The student pointed to his cheek and said, “Yes, right here”.

‘Not laughing now’

After punching the student, the teacher said, “You’re not laughing now”, according to the statement.

The teacher was charged with assault and referred to New Zealand’s Teaching Council Disciplinary Tribunal, which found that his actions constituted “serious misconduct”.

In his statement to the Tribunal, the teacher said he was frustrated by the 13-year-old’s cheekiness and was upset at being called a paedophile.

The Tribunal ordered a penalty of censure - a formal “telling off” which lets a teacher know their behaviour has been deemed unacceptable.

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“Punching a child’s head is a very serious matter,” the Tribunal said in its verdict.

“[His] behaviour was totally unacceptable and set a very poor example to the student, not to mention that it could have had some very serious physical consequences for the boy.”

The name of the teacher, student, and college involved have been suppressed.