A JEALOUS headmaster who attacked his deputy with a spanner after becoming embroiled in a love triangle has been released from jail.
Dr Anthony John Felton, 54, lured his colleague into a room before striking him several times with the tool during a calculated attack.
Richard Pyke was lured into the room by Felton, who launched into the brutal attack
Footage shows him taking the spanner from his pocket and repeatedly battering Richard
AthenaThe headteacher admitted attempted grievous bodily harm[/caption]
He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison after admitting attempted grievous bodily harm against Richard Pyke, 51.
Married Felton had recently fathered a child with a teacher and believed Richard was also having an affair with her.
Shocking CCTV footage showed the savage attack on his love rival at St Joseph’s Catholic School in Port Talbot, South Wales.
Felton was jailed in April following a trial at Swansea Crown Court, which heard he was overcome by “overwhelming sexual jealousy”.
Judge Paul Thomas said the married headteacher had “ambushed” his friend, who was left with severe head injuries.
But the Prison Service confirmed he was released “in August”, meaning he will have served less than five months of his sentence.
Instead, he will now be monitored with an electronic tag while living at home under “strict conditions”.
A spokesman for the service told WalesOnline: “If they break the rules they will be sent back to prison.”
“Offenders released on Home Detention Curfew are subject to strict conditions and must be tagged.”
At the trial, the court heard there was “unique background” to the case.
The pair had been friends for several years before they became entangled in the love triangle.
On March 5, Felton lured his colleague into a room and told him to read an email – meaning his back was turned.
Footage shows him taking the spanner from his pocket and repeatedly battering Richard without any warning.
Richard, who had been facing away from the headteacher, was then seen desperately trying to wrench the weapon away from Felton.
The thug shouted out “you know what you’ve done” and accused him of sleeping with his lover.
The violent assault only came to an end when a staff member rushed in – causing Felton to calm down.
Richard suffered swelling to the back of the scalp, a headache, nausea and dizziness in the attack.
In a victim impact statement, he said Felton abused his “complete trust” to “manoeuvre me into a position of utter vulnerability”.
He added: “I am still in freefall from the trauma of this.
“I thought the lights were falling in on me when the first blows struck me on the back of the head.
“In the moments of debilitating flashbacks I still have, I sob the same question: how could you do something like that?
“In the immediate aftermath I was completely bewildered by what you’ve done.
“I know now that was the real you. I didn’t see that until it was almost too late which terrifies me still.
“The impact of your attack will be with me forever.”
AthenaRichard begged him to stop as he was attacked[/caption]
He told his colleague to read an email – meaning his back was turned
WNSShocking CCTV footage showed the savage attack with the metal tool[/caption]
Shortly after the attack, the headteacher emailed colleagues and accused the woman of “sleeping her way to the top”.
The email read: “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.”
Felton was appointed head at the 900-pupil school in 2023 after running the maths department for 17 years.
His own barrister, John Hipkin KC, said the horror was a “spectacular fall from grace to say the least”.
Media WalesThe Prison Service confirmed he was released ‘in August’[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
