School row over pupil's God talk

A Devon primary school has denied it was being anti-Christian by admonishing a five-year-old pupil for talking about God to another girl in class.

Jasmine Cain's mother, who works part-time at the school, said her daughter was left in tears by the reprimand.

But the head teacher said Jasmine had told her friend she would 'go to hell' if she did not believe in God.

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She sent an email, from her home internet account, to members of her church asking them to pray about the situation.

The email was forwarded by a member of the congregation to Gary Read, the school's head teacher, who launched an investigation into the allegations it contained.

Mr Read said: "This is not an issue about Christianity, it is about religious intolerance.

"Jasmine told another pupil 'if you don't believe in God you're going to go to hell'.

"The girl was upset and her teacher asked me for advice about what to do.

"Jasmine was told it is not OK to say that, but it is OK to discuss what you believe with others."

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Mike Judge, from the Christian Institute, which is supporting Mrs Cain, said: "A six-year-old girl and her mother have been slammed for nothing more than expressing their Christian faith.

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"This is the latest in a series of cases where Christians are being persecuted for their religious beliefs."