A St Edward’s College former teacher - Francesca Stivala - today was ordered by a court to pay €1,000 in damages to Sandro Bruno after she was found guilty of slandering the college bursar by means of an e-mail she circulated to 47 persons working at the college.

The email in question, titled ‘To all staff at SEC’, included two images. The email was sent on 16 November, 2012.

Mr Bruno told the court that in his capacity as bursar of the college he administered its accounts department and was also responsible for employment contracts at the college. Ms Stivala had been engaged as a temporary teacher covering the scholastic year 2011 and 2012. Her contract of employment was to end on 31 August, 2012.

However, after the contract terminated, Ms Stivala requested payment for September 2012. The request was rejected by the college and she filed an application at the Labour Office which, in turn, found her claim to be unjustified.

In November 2012, Ms Stivala circulated an email to all the 47 staff at St Edwards College claiming that the college's accounting department was paying teachers on a one-year contract for 11 months. This was described by Ms Stivala as "creative skills" on the part of the accounts department and also as a "gross mistreatment of temporary teachers".

The court heard that together with the email, Ms Stivala had attached two photos of two persons, showing Mr Bruno and his deputy bursar.

Mr Bruno claimed that the email and photo were slanderous. 

Magistrate Franco Depasquale presided over the case