Orphan aged ten 'beaten with belt buckle by teacher'

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT!

The unnamed teacher has been suspended pending an investigation after a disturbing image of wounds suffered by a ten year old boy were posted on social networks. The child had been at an orphanage in Irkutsk for two months. 

An anonymous user wrote alongside the picture showing wounds to the boy's back: 'This is happening in our orphanages. A teacher brutally beat a 10 year old boy because he broke a hose. She beat him with an iron belt buckle.'

Police are taking the allegation seriously and a criminal case has been opened. The teacher could face three months in jail over the alleged beating on 20 September.  

The teacher, described as 'responsible and positive', has already faced interrogation from state investigators. Colleagues said she had worked at the orphanage for five years.

The acting governor of Irkutsk region Sergei Eroschenko has called for the head of the orphanage Tatyana Suprun to be dismissed. 

The boy - reported to be disabled - was registered as an orphan after his mother and father were 'deprived of their parental rights'.