A HEADTEACHER allegedly attacked his deputy with a heavy-duty spanner in front of shocked pupils over a love triangle with a teacher at the same school.
Dr John Felton, 54, is said to have discovered a woman was also having affairs with other members of staff.
St Joseph’s Catholic School headteacher Dr John Felton allegedly attacked a colleague with a spanner[/caption]
Deputy head Richard Pyke was reportedly assaulted after getting entangled in a love triangle[/caption]
Married dad-of-three Felton was said to have been having an affair with another teacher[/caption]
The head emailed staff apologising for what he was about to do saying: “I’m sorry for the distress which the rest of today will bring.”
Just before 10am on Wednesday Dr Felton allegedly armed himself with a large spanner and attacked deputy head Richard Pyke, causing him serious head injuries.
Emergency services were called to St Joseph’s Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre in Aberavon, South Wales.
Married father-of-three Dr Felton was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.
Mr Pyke, 51, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Some parents arrived to collect their children after receiving text messages about the attack and are threatening to keep them off until they receive assurances about leadership in the school.
Worried parents posted on Facebook that the teachers involved were having sexual liaisons in school, “never mind the headteacher nearly beating someone to death with a wrench”.
It is understood that the teacher was not at the school at the time of the alleged spanner attack.
Dr Felton’s email was signed off with the word “goodbye”.
The email said: “Dear staff, the greatest mistake I made was appointing ******* ******* in various roles.
“She has slept her way to the top, currently engaging in sexual activity with at least 2 current members of the SLT (School Leadership Team) including Richard Pyke.
“I’m sorry for the distress the rest of the day will bring. I am sorry.
“You are good people and do an amazing job for our community.
“Goodbye, John.”
Dr Felton was appointed head at the 900-pupil school in 2023 after being head of mathematics there for 17 years.
A South Wales Police spokesman said: “We were called at 9.50am to reports of an assault at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Comprehensive School in Aberavon.
“A 51-year-old man has been taken to hospital, it is believed his injuries are not life threatening. A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault.
“We are aware of local speculation about the nature of the assault but we can confirm no knives were involved.”
Neath Port Talbot council said support would be offered to pupils and staff affected by the violent assault.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident that occurred at St Joseph’s Catholic school and Sixth Form Centre this morning.
“The incident did not involve any pupils.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff are our top priority and we are working closely with the school to ensure the appropriate support is offered to everyone affected by this incident.
“The matter is currently under investigation by the police and the school is fully cooperating with their inquiries.”
Labour MS for Aberavon, David Rees, said: “This is a very sad situation for our community and my thoughts currently are with the person who is injured.
“I am sure the local authority will provide full support to staff and pupils who may be affected in the coming days and weeks.
“It is important that at this time the police and other relevant authorities are allowed to investigate the incident without any speculation.”
