A teacher pulled a boy with cerebral palsy 20 metres along a carpet, burning him, because he would not stand up, a court heard yesterday.

David Byrne, 56, also said the child -- who cannot be identified for legal reasons -- was behaving like "a little brat" after having tantrums during the incident in May at a school in Oxfordshire, Shelley Cranshaw, prosecuting, told Didcot Magistrates' Court.

Byrne, of Radley Road, Abingdon, denies assault.

Mrs Cranshaw said the boy had not wanted to go to school that day and had to be carried from his family's car inside.

His tantrums continued and he sat on the floor.

Mrs Cranshaw continued: "Mr Byrne took one or two of the boy's ankles and dragged him along the carpet for about 20 metres.

"Mr Byrne stopped and asked the boy to stand up but he refused, so Mr Byrne continued dragging him along on his back."

She said the accused said the boy had behaved like "a little brat".

The boy stood up and the teacher noticed a small red mark on his back.

Mrs Cranshaw said the boy's parents also noticed marks on his back when he got home and took him for medical treatment before complaining to the police.

She said Mr Byrne contended that his actions were reasonable and justified under the circumstances but it was the prosecution's case that they were excessive.

The boy's father told the court that he found two raw red marks on his back, adding: "The redness has gone now but there are two scars."

The trial continues.