A TEACHER WHO assaulted a pupil at a Catholic school in Nottinghamshire was found not guilty of attempted murder last week.
Goaded by a disruptive class last July, science teacher Peter Harvey lost his temper, dragged a 14-year-old pupil out of the classroom and hit him twice with a dumbbell, causing severe head injuries. The pupil had been swearing at him and other pupils had been calling him a “psycho”, while another pupil had been filming the teacher’s reaction on a camcorder.
Mr Harvey, 50, had returned to All Saints school in Mansfield in April 2009 after a period of suffering from depression and stress.
The jury took less than an hour to clear Mr Harvey of the charges of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent. He had admitted a charge of grievous bodily harm.