Playing rugby could have been sufficient to spark off the psychological trauma a schoolboy claims was caused by punishment by his teacher, a court heard.
Dr William Green said yesterday that Edmond Cheung Yee-mong's condition could have been brought about by the sort of confrontation that children normally face at school.
He said incidents which occurred during games of mini-rugby, for example, 'could easily have precipitated the events' in question.
He said Edmond, now 13, was already suffering from anxiety when manhandled in class by teacher Ko Hing-biu in April 1991.
The boy is seeking $9 million damages from Mr Ko and the Gloria English School as a result of severe psychological trauma he claims to have suffered as a result of the incident.
Dr Green said Edmond was already suffering from obsessive conduct disorder.
This was then triggered by the classroom incident in which Mr Ko attempted to force Edmond's hand over his mouth while trying to silence a noisy class, he said.