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« on: July 10, 2009, 10:37:45 AM »
I see there is going to be a leaflet campaign in support of the teacher.
Teacher questioned over attempted murder of school pupil
Jul 10 2009
A SCIENCE teacher was being quizzed last night on suspicion of attempting to murder one of his pupils in a classroom full of children.
Peter Harvey, 49, allegedly hit 14-year-old Jack Waterhouse in the head with a metal weight from a set of scales.
He is then said to have stood over the youngster and struck him again with the weight as he lay bleeding on the ground.
Harvey is also suspected of assaulting two other pupils during the same incident. Reports claim he was off work with stress earlier this year.
Jack was very seriously ill last night in a specialist head injuries unit with his frantic parents at his bedside.
More than 20 kids were in Harvey's class at All Saints' Roman Catholic School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, when Jack suffered multiple head injuries at about 11am on Wednesday.
The incident is said to have started when a girl pupil swore at Harvey, saying "F*** off, you bald c***". She is then said to have ripped a textbook.
Unconscious
At the end of the class, Harvey allegedly kicked the girl's bag and said something like: "If you're going to damage school property, school is going to damage your property."
Jack is said to have intervened and sworn at Harvey.
The teacher then allegedly grabbed the weight and hit Jack on the forehead with it, before hitting him again on the ground.
Two other pupils allegedly intervened to restrain Harvey and help was called.
Paramedics found Jack unconscious in a pool of blood in the classroom doorway.
He was taken to hospital in Mansfield, then moved to the head injuries unit at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham as his condition worsened.
There was grave concern for Jack's life on Wednesday night but his condition had improved slightly by yesterday.
The other two kids allegedly assaulted by Harvey, a boy and girl of 14, did not have to go to hospital and were back at school yesterday.
Harvey was being held at a police station last night.
Detectives have until 8.15pm today to charge or release him or ask for more time to question him.
Harvey is a married father of two and both his daughters go to All Saints'.
His wife Samantha was being comforted by a friend yesterday at the family's detached home a mile from the school. The pal said: "I don't think she could cope with saying anything right now. She is very, very upset."
Harvey's pupils knew him affectionately as "The Nutty Professor" because of his eccentric character.
But some kids said they were surprised to see him back at work after his absence with stress.
One pupil said: "He'd been off for the best part of the year. They said the pressure of the job had got to him."
Former pupils at All Saints' said Harvey was good at his job and popular with the kids.
Chris Holmes, 19, said: "He was an all right teacher and a decent guy.
"Most teachers can lose their temper. Obviously, he lost it from time to time but nothing like this happened before."
Another 19-year-old, Tom Blythe, described Harvey as "a bit of a legend" and added: "He would grow a beard and wacky moustaches. He was a real eccentric.
"He was into science and he loved the arts, especially musicals.
"He loved getting involved with drama productions. I never saw him lose his rag. He'd shout at you but he never got physical."
More former pupils left glowing reports about Harvey on the "ratemyteacher" website.
One described him as "one of the best", and another recalled his "great enthusiasm and scientific mind".
A third pupil wrote: "He made science fun."
A team of 12 police officers spoke to youngsters from Harvey's class on Wednesday night. The kids' parents were present during the interviews.
Forensics experts examined the blood-spattered classroom.
Det Supt Adrian Pearson confirmed a weapon was used in the incident and said there were "a number of witnesses".
He added: "Obviously, the whole class is traumatised. The school, the teachers and the parents are absolutely shocked.
"People send their children to this school from great distances because of its academic record."
Mr Pearson added: "It was a full, lively classroom. We have a full picture of what has taken place.
"We have arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder and two counts of assault."
Parents at the school gates yesterday were still struggling to take in what had happened. One dad said: "It's a massive shock."
All Saints' describes itself as a "lively, Catholic comprehensive with a very special, warm ethos".
It opened in 1974 and has around 1100 pupils.
All Saints' got a satisfactory rating in its last inspection last year. Forty-five per cent of pupils got five good GCSEs, including English and maths.
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