Alternative charges have been brought against a woman accused of a string of alleged assaults on young children at a posh private school.
Prosecutors claim Hannah Jamieson carried out a number of attacks on youngsters aged between 12 weeks and two years old between March and December 2013 at the Hamilton School in Aberdeen.
The family run school was shut by the Scottish Government last year (2014) after a joint probe by Scotland’s care watchdog and police.
The 26-year-old was originally charged with eight alleged assaults and an accusation of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
But yesterday prosecutors dropped the original charges and brought revised ones to Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Jamieson is now being charged with eight counts of assault with alternative charges of culpable and reckless conduct “to the danger” of the children allegedly involved.
The charge of threatening and abusive behaviour no longer appears in the court papers.
Jamieson’s defence agent Graham Morrison tendered not guilty pleas in her absence.
She is expected to stand trial later this year.
Jamieson, of Aberdeen, was understood to be caring for the children at the west end facility on Queens Road during the time the offences are said to have been committed two years ago.
Prosecutors claim the former school employee repeatedly pushed a nine-month-old baby on the head in an attempt to get him to lie down to sleep in July 2013.
She is also said to have picked up a 16-month-old girl in an aggressive and forceful manner in September.
The following month another 11-month-old boy is said to have fallen and banged his head because she allegedly pulled him by the leg.
Jamieson has also been charged with pushing an 15-month-old boy on the body and forcing another youngster into a high chair.
Between April and December 2013, she is said to have assaulted a young child who was about a year old by rolling up a blanket into a ball and throwing it at the infant, who then fell over.
A number of children aged between 12 weeks and 18 months old are also said to have been assaulted.
At the time of closure, the school had 105 pupils on the rolls.
An adjoining nursery which catered for over 200 children closed just 24 hours later following a Care Inspectorate report.
The school looked after children between the ages of three months and 12 years.
It was founded in 1975 and was Scotland’s only privately owned day school.