An incident unfolded at the school when the headteacher reportedly assaulted his deputy using a heavy-duty spanner, leaving the students in disbelief. The reason behind this violent act was suspected to be a romantic entanglement involving a teacher at their educational institution.
Dr John Felton, 54, is said to have discovered a woman was also having affairs with other members of staff.
The head emailed staff apologising for what he was about to do saying: “I’m sorry for the distress which the rest of today will bring.”
At approximately 10 am on a Wednesday, Dr. Felton purportedly wielded the spanner and viciously attacked the deputy head, causing severe head wounds to Mr. Pyke. The shocking nature of the incident undoubtedly impacted all witnesses present during that moment.
Emergency services were called to St Joseph’s Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre in Aberavon, South Wales.
Married father-of-three Dr Felton was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.
Mr Pyke, 51, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Concerned parents hurried to the school premises upon receiving alarming text messages regarding the assault. As a result, they expressed their apprehension by indicating that they would withhold their children from attending classes until their concerns about the school’s management were adequately addressed.
Worried parents posted on Facebook that the teachers involved were having sexual liaisons in school, “never mind the headteacher nearly beating someone to death with a wrench”.
It is understood that the teacher was not at the school at the time of the alleged spanner attack.
Dr Felton’s email was signed off with the word “goodbye”.
The email said: “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.
“You are good people and do an amazing job for our community.
“Goodbye, John.”
Dr Felton was appointed head at the 900-pupil school in 2023 after being head of mathematics there for 17 years.
A South Wales Police spokesman said: “We were called at 9.50am to reports of an assault at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Comprehensive School in Aberavon.
“A 51-year-old man has been taken to hospital, it is believed his injuries are not life threatening. A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault.
“We are aware of local speculation about the nature of the assault but we can confirm no knives were involved.”
Neath Port Talbot council said support would be offered to pupils and staff affected by the violent assault.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident that occurred at St Joseph’s Catholic school and Sixth Form Centre this morning.
“The incident did not involve any pupils.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff are our top priority and we are working closely with the school to ensure the appropriate support is offered to everyone affected by this incident.
“The matter is currently under investigation by the police and the school is fully cooperating with their inquiries.”
Labour MS for Aberavon, David Rees, said: “This is a very sad situation for our community and my thoughts currently are with the person who is injured.
“I am sure the local authority will provide full support to staff and pupils who may be affected in the coming days and weeks.
“It is important that at this time the police and other relevant authorities are allowed to investigate the incident without any speculation.”
