Michael Flynn, a school teacher in England, was fired over a Facebook post appealing to parents of youngsters who threatened to rape and murder his family.
On May 23, a group of youngsters attempted to take a bicycle from his front yard. His wife, Angela, a former police officer in the US, asked them to leave. One of them threatened to stab her and come back with people who would rape and murder her family.
Later, Flynn made a post on Facebook to appeal to the perpetrator’s parents to contact him.
“Four kids tried to steal a pushbike from my front garden. When challenged they were verbally abusive and threatening to my wife,” his post read.
“A chase ensued, one kid lost his shoes in the conflict. If this is your son, you may want to contact me before I contact the police.
“Twydall is a small place and I will find him sooner or later.
“So, if you want to sort this out calmly, I suggest the parents PM me or I will sort this out my way.”
The next day, the group returned with the intent to throw a large rock through a window. Flynn looked out and they ran off. The following day, Flynn was fired over his Facebook post.
“I have stolen nothing and I’ve threatened no one. I am the victim of a crime, yet I am being punished,” he said.
“I loved teaching and this is certainly not the way I wanted to end my career.”
A spokesperson for the school said: “The wellbeing of our pupils is our priority and we take our responsibilities to safeguard children extremely seriously.
“We cannot discuss individual cases, but incidents brought to our attention are fully investigated and acted upon in line with our policies and procedures, which align with Department for Education guidance.”
Flynn said that he wished he had worded the Facebook post a bit differently but he does not “regret looking out for my community.”
His wife Angela, who stays at home to take care of her disabled daughter who requires 24-hour care, said: “I have to be here 24/7 to help my daughter and I’m petrified. Those kids said they were going to come back with people who were going to kill my family and rape me.
“If they had thrown that rock through the window, Alexis would not have even been able to raise her hands to stop it hitting her.”
Mrs Flynn added: “The children need to know there are repercussions for their actions. If they don’t get a handle on it now, while these kids are young, it is just going to get worse.
“We have a responsibility as a community to ensure they do have repercussions so they can grow into functional adults.
“Every jail cell in America is filled with murderers who started out stealing a piece of gum.”
