A head teacher from Wales has been sentenced to two years and four months behind bars after launching a vicious attack on a colleague in a shocking outburst fueled by sexual jealousy.
Anthony Felton, 54, struck 51-year-old Richard Pyke with an 18-inch wrench at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Comprehensive School in Port Talbot on March 5. CCTV footage captured the horrifying moment Felton pulled the weapon from his jacket and smashed it against Pyke’s head while he sat at his computer. As Pyke collapsed to the ground, Felton continued the assault until another staff member intervened.
At a sentencing hearing on Friday, April 25, Judge Paul Thomas condemned Felton’s actions, describing the attack as “bizarre” and driven by “overwhelming sexual jealousy” after Felton discovered he had fathered a colleague’s child. Felton reportedly suspected that Pyke had since started a relationship with the same woman, according to the BBC.
Prosecutor Ieuan Rees explained that Felton’s wife confirmed he had admitted to the affair and the paternity of the child. “Furthermore, he believed that Mr. Pyke had now begun his own relationship with that lady,” Rees said, per The Guardian.
In the aftermath of the attack, Felton sent a farewell email to staff apologizing for his actions and hinting at the turmoil he had caused. “Dear staff, the greatest mistake I made was appointing [the female teacher] in various roles. 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,” the email reportedly read, according to The Times.
Judge Thomas emphasized the devastating impact Felton’s violence had on the entire school community: “Ultimately, the trigger for your act of extreme violence was of your own doing — the overwhelming sexual jealousy arising from an adulterous affair and the uncontrollable rage it created in you.”
In a powerful victim impact statement, Pyke — a married father of two — told the court he had placed his complete trust in Felton. “You used that to maneuver me into a position of utter vulnerability with my back turned and facing a computer screen, and then you attacked me from behind,” he said. “I am still in free fall from such an unforeseeable act. You should have been the one to protect me.”
Felton pleaded guilty to the assault earlier this month.