Brit teacher who hit student with dumbbell set free

London, April 30 (ANI): A British teacher who was accused of trying to kill a 14-year-old pupil with a 3kg dumbbell has been set free after he was cleared of the charges.

Science master Peter Harvey, 50, who is described as mild-mannered and popular, had admitted grievous bodily harm but was controversially charged with attempted murder.

He had to spend nine months in prison on remand but was released after a jury took less than an hour to clear him.he incident had taken place when Harvey, who had just returned after being off work with stress and depression, was deliberately "wound up" by a class because of his fragile mental state.

The court was told the "cruel" youngsters in his physics class showed no mercy, and that a disruptive girl pupil screamed "bald psycho" at him after he ordered her out of class for unruly behaviour.

Harvey, a teacher at All Saints Catholic School in Mansfield, Notts, finally "snapped" when the 14-year-old boy, who was a known troublemaker, told him to "f*** off".

The teacher dragged the boy into a side room and beat him around the head with the weight, shouting: "Die, die, die".

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered a fractured skull and spent five days in hospital, but recovered.

Harvey, who told police he believed he had "killed the boy", was also found not guilty of causing GBH with intent. He had admitted a lesser charge of causing GBH.

Judge Michael Stokes QC adjourned sentence for three weeks at Nottingham Crown Court. But he told Harvey he would not be going to jail and released him on bail.

"I do not propose a sentence of any further custody. You have already effectively served a sentence that is more than the appropriate sentence," the Sun quoted the judge as saying.

Harvey was granted bail on condition he lives at a secret location and co-operates with the probation service before sentencing.

He showed no reaction, but members of the victim's family stormed from the courtroom.

He had chosen not to give evidence on April 29 but his lawyer, Rex Tedd QC, reminded the jury of a video the pupils secretly filmed as they baited Harvey just before the attack.

Tedd said it showed "a man deliberately run ragged by people who sensed his fragility and vulnerability, provoking him for cruel sport".

"Mr Harvey would like to voice publicly the contrition he feels over what he did to a boy in his charge," he added. (ANI)