A SCHOOL cook faced a child sex exploitation investigation after she gave a cookie to a young pupil.

Pat Lavery told an employment rights hearing that she was working at the school in May 2008 when a boy raised his hand and asked for a cookie, the Daily Mail reported.



She brought it to the attention of an assistant who gave permission for the child to be given the cookie.

The next day she was summoned by school officials and warned she could be breaching child protection laws set up to stop youngsters being sexually exploited.

After being questioned during several meetings with her bosses amid innuendo and rumor circulating in the area, she decided quit her job at the school in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

The employment hearing ruled that she was unfairly treated. She has now gone back to work at the school and could be in line for compensation.

Her husband Eoghan said: "It has been a horrendous two-plus years for my wife because there was a shadow hanging over her that she'd done something wrong."

The hearing concluded that a threat to terminate her employment when she said she could not return to the school because of the accusations was "entirely inappropriate” and that she should receive an apology and compensation.

Read more about school cook faced child protection investigation for giving boy a cookie at the Daily Mail.

