A headteacher who attacked his deputy and love rival with a wrench in a jealous rage has been launched from jail.
Anthony Felton was jailed for 30 months in April after attacking his deputy Richard Pyke the earlier month, with whom he was embroiled in a love triangle.
However the 54-year-old was freed beneath a house detention curfew this month after spending simply 5 months in jail, together with simply over seven weeks on remand, it has emerged.
He’s topic to an electronically monitored curfew for at least 9 hours a day by regulation, although usually it’s for 12 hours.
Confirming his launch beneath dwelling detention curfew (HDC) with an digital tag, the Ministry of Justice mentioned the disgraced head had been threat assessed and can be topic to strict circumstances.
At his sentencing in April, Felton admitted tried grievous bodily hurt with intent after the assault at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Complete in Aberavon, Neath Port Talbot, on March 5 this yr.
Felton, of Gorseinon, Swansea, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court docket to 2 years and 4 months by Choose Paul Thomas.
The courtroom heard the previous headteacher was overcome by “overwhelming sexual jealousy” over a love triangle on the secondary college.
Felton attacked Mr Pyke, 51, with the steel wrench after discovering out he was the daddy of a fellow trainer’s youngster and that Mr Pyke was in a relationship with the identical trainer. The pair had been buddies and colleagues for 15 years.
Anthony Felton was jailed for 30-months for assault fuelled by ‘sexual jealousy’
Dramatic video reveals Anthony John Felton (proper) approaching Richard Pyke (left) earlier than the assault
The clip then reveals Felton strike Mr Pyke with a wrench at St Joseph’s Catholic Faculty
The wrench hit Mr Pyke on the top and knocked him to the ground in the course of the assault by Felton
Mr Pyke was handled in hospital for minor accidents after Felton attacked him from behind with a steel wrench.
Felton, a married father of three grownup kids and referred to as John, had been buddies with Mr Pyke for a few years however attacked him in a ‘terribly jealous overreaction’, his sentencing listening to was advised.
Felton believed Mr Pyke had slept with one other trainer with whom he had lately been in a relationship – and had himself fathered a lovechild.
On March 5, Felton, whose spouse Maria was on the time relationships and intercourse schooling coordinator on the college, hid the wrench beneath his coat when he went to Mr Pyke’s workplace to debate an e-mail from a mum or dad.
However when one other trainer left the room, Felton swung the wrench whereas Mr Pyke’s again was turned – hitting him on the top and knocking him to the ground. Felton shouted at him: ‘You understand what you’ve got completed’ as different academics rushed to intervene.
After the assault on the college on March 5 this yr, Felton threw the wrench away and left the varsity in his automobile. He then despatched an e-mail to all workers apologising ‘for the issues and misery his actions had been more likely to trigger’.
Felton, who in line with an annual report from the governing physique was appointed headteacher in September 2023, pleaded responsible to tried grievous bodily hurt with intent when he first appeared in courtroom on April 7.
Confirming Felton’s early launch, a Jail Service Spokesman mentioned: ‘Offenders launched on Dwelling Detention Curfew are topic to strict circumstances and should be tagged. In the event that they break the principles they are going to be despatched again to jail.’
Richard Pyke, who wanted hospital remedy for minor accidents after assault from behind
The massive wrench wielded by Anthony Felton in assault on his love rival Richard Pyke
The spokesperson gave no precise date for the discharge however confirmed: ‘Anthony Felton was launched in August 2025.’
The Ministry of Justice mentioned all dwelling detention curfews (HDCs) are discretionary. Nobody is eligible for HDC until they’ve been risk-assessed, and the jail governor makes the final word choice.
Felton might be topic to strict licence circumstances and a curfew enforced by digital monitoring, as in each HDC case.
The MoJ mentioned all prisoners launched on HDC will need to have served not less than half the custodial a part of their sentence.
All prisoners are topic to threat evaluation previous to launch on HDC. They’re topic to an electronically monitored curfew for at least 9 hours a day by regulation, although usually it’s for 12 hours.
