Headmaster, 54, jailed for attacking deputy with spanner after learning he was sleeping with his mistress breaks silence
The married father-of-four said the extraordinary outburst has left his life in tatters
A headmaster who attacked his deputy head with a spanner after learning he had been sleeping with his secret mistress has spoken for the first time.
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Dr Anthony John Felton, 54, was jailed for two years and four months after clobbering his colleague Richard Pyke with a spanner.
The married father-of-four admitted attempted grievous bodily harm and was convicted of a Section 18 assault of a male colleague at work.
Speaking for the first time since being released from HMP Swansea, the disgraced headteacher said he is ashamed by his actions, with the extraordinary outburst leaving his life in tatters.
He said it has been an “emotional exit” from prison and said he is determined to rebuild relationships after his life fell apart.
Last March, it emerged that “jealous” Felton had recently fathered a child with his mistress.
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The headteacher at the 900-pupil Catholic high school in Wales erupted in fury when he discovered his deputy was having an affair with the same teacher.
Chilling CCTV shows the moment the teacher hit Mr Pyke with a spanner from behind.
Shortly before the attack, Felton sent round an email to staff apologising for what he was about to do in advance.
He said he immediately regretted his actions and to this day often dreams about apologising to the victim.
Breaking his silence on the attack, Felton said: “At 54 years old, I suddenly found myself facing time inside.”
'It was right that I received a custodial sentence, but that didn't diminish the sheer terror and anxiety I felt,” he said.
He added that while on the inside he worried about getting beaten up or raped and spent the first nine days in jail on suicide watch.
He has since been released early under the Home Office Detention Curfew Scheme but must wear an electronic tag.
"It was an emotional exit, and I knew I would miss some aspects of prison life – especially the genuine friendships I had formed and the acts of kindness shown to me.
"Adjusting has not been easy. Everyday sights, colours, and smells still feel overwhelming, and it will take time. But I know I am moving forward, and I am determined to give back – to my family, to my friends, and to society,” he wrote in the prison newspaper Inside Time.
Felton was made head of the 900-pupil school in 2023 after running its maths department for 17 years.
John Hipkin KC, his barrister, described the attack on Felton’s colleague as a “spectacular fall from grace to say the least”.
Abul Hussain, from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Anthony Felton struck a defenceless man repeatedly to the head with a metal weapon, demonstrating he had an intent to cause his victim really serious harm.
“The level of unprovoked violence, from a professional in the workplace, was shocking.
“Too often we see attacks of this nature result in life changing injuries or fatal consequences, and thankfully, that was not the result in this case.”