Teacher spared jail for dumb-bell attack on foul-mouthed pupil

Peter Harvey, 50, attacked the 14-year-old schoolboy at All Saints' Roman Catholic School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on July 8 last year after repeatedly being taunted by pupils in his science class.

Last month, a jury at Nottingham Crown Court took only an hour to clear Harvey of attempting to murder the boy or intending to cause him serious injury.

The married father of two, who earlier admitted causing grievous bodily harm without intent, bludgeoned the boy with a 6.6lb (3kg) dumb-bell while shouting "Die, die, die".

But the jury accepted his barrister's claims that his pupils had driven him over the edge and he did not know what he was doing when the youngster, now 15 and a known trouble-maker, told him to "**** off".

It emerged during the four-day trial that pupils at the school were trying to wind up Harvey so his reaction could be caught on a camcorder being used secretly by a girl in the class.

The footage was then to be passed around the school as a way of "humiliating" Harvey.

Passing sentence, Judge Michael Stokes QC said: "On any view this is a tragic case. You are a thoroughly decent man and for well over 20 years you have been a dedicated and successful school teacher.

"The incident involving the 14-year-old boy whom you assaulted was brought about, I have no doubt, by a number of factors combining together and producing in you a quite disproportionate reaction to misbehaviour, abuse and rank disobedience by him and some of his classmates.

"In previous years you would have handled this easily and professionally but in July of last year you were far from well.

"You were undoubtedly suffering from depression, stress and a serious lack of confidence."

Harvey did not react to the judge's comments as he stood staring ahead in the dock.

He was supported in the public gallery by members of his family, including his wife, Samantha.

A keen singer, church-goer and a father of two teenage daughters, one of whom has Asperger's Syndrome, he would regularly take part in school plays and once grew a beard so he could perform as Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist.

Former pupils described him as a "charismatic" teacher who cared deeply about his students but five years ago cracks started to show in the teacher's personal life.

His wife was diagnosed with severe depression, which forced her to temporarily give up work as a teacher, while Harvey became increasingly unhappy about the behaviour of some pupils.

On one occasion, a boy who could not be disciplined by a colleague was placed in Harvey's class only to assault him, while another unruly one pushed him into a bush after he stuck up for a female teacher.

In late 2008, Harvey said he was becoming increasingly "snappy" with students, "exploding" at one girl after he caught her with chewing gum.

He was signed off in December 2008 after telling the school's education adviser, Shahrukh Mugaseth, that he was having violent thoughts and feared he would seriously harm somebody.

But he was allowed to return in April last year after receiving therapy from a counsellor who told him he was too "gentle and placid" and needed to be better at letting his anger out.

Cruelly, pupils in Harvey's Year 9 science class seem to have latched on to his health problems and targeted him.

Had Harvey been convicted of attempted murder, or grievous bodily harm with intent, he could have faced a life term behind bars but evidence of witnesses during the trial made it apparent he had lost control.