This happened when I was 11

I had moderately severe asthma as a child and I did exaggerate it so as to get out of school from time to time. Especially if it was a day which included a games lesson, rugby in the mus and rain was not an experience I relished.

On this occasion my impersonation of an asthma attack was too good as my mother was so concerned she took me to see the doctor. After examining me the doctor told my mum that he knew what the problem was and that there was a simple cure. It was school bell fever and it was best dealt with by a good dose of the slipper! He then handed my mum a Dr Scholls sandal (wooden soled) and suggested she take me into the nurses room which was empty and give me my "medicine."

I felt very embarrassed and my mum was furious about my lying. She took me into the examination room and bent me over the table for 10 very hard whacks which had me howling. I remember being marched back through the waiting room with my hands clutched to my bottom and my eyes glued to the floor.

It was midday by now and mum took me to school and gave me a note for my teacher to hand in at afternoon registration.

When my form teacher read my mums note he told me to go and take it to the headmaster. I slowly did as I was told half of me wanting to read the note and the other half afraid of what it might say. The headmaster read it out to me and it was saying that I had been absent because I was pretending to be ill. The head then said that what I had been doing was truancy and that such behavior needed to be nipped in the bud.

He then stood up and lifted a cane down from the top of the bookshelf and ordered me to bend over and touch my toes and then he gave me 4 strokes which on top of the slippering made it uncomfortable to sit for the next few days.