A 12-YEAR-OLD boy from the North-East has been charged with raping his teacher, it emerged yesterday.

The boy, who has behavioural difficulties, is alleged to have attacked the woman after receiving personal tuition from her.

The victim, in her early 30s, claimed she was raped one lunchtime after providing one-to-one teaching for the boy at a centre in County Durham a fortnight ago.

He then allegedly stole her car, which was found abandoned later that day in Gateshead.

The teacher contacted the police and they arrested the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and charged him with rape and theft.

He has appeared in court and is due in front of magistrates again later this month.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: "On November 29, a female teacher alleged she had been raped at lunchtime that day by a young boy while providing personal tuition at an address in our force area.

"Her attacker is then alleged to have taken the keys to her car, which was parked outside, and driven off in the vehicle.

"The car was found abandoned later in Gateshead.

"A 12-year-old was arrested later that evening, also in the Tyne and Wear area.

"He appeared before South Durham magistrates the next day, charged with rape and theft of the alleged victim's car.

"He is next due to appear in court on Thursday, December 30."

This alleged incident comes at a time when assaults on teachers reported to the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers are at their highest-ever level.

Since 1991, they have risen from seven recorded incidents a year to 111.

The most recent annual figures included 76 attacks by pupils, three by parents, two by former pupils, four by intruders and 26 by unidentified people.

The true figures could be much higher, however, because the 111 incidents reported to the union do not include every attack reported to the police.

It is understood the woman teacher has been offered counselling to help her cope with her ordeal.

Teaching unions yesterday spoke of their fears for teachers left in one-to-one sessions with pupils.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: "Incidents of the nature alleged in this case are fortunately extremely rare.

"If substantiated, it would bring a new dimension to the issue of pupil violence against teachers, but I don't think we should be in a position where we assume things are spiralling out of control.

"It would cause schools to review the policies they have to protect teachers working in isolation with pupils.

"Our advice is that teachers should not be left alone to work with pupils."

National Union of Teachers spokeswoman Olive Forsyth said: "Violent attacks on teachers are a rarity, but they can be devastating for the teacher involved.

"Any attack on a teacher is entirely unacceptable and must be dealt with severely."