A former headteacher who was sent to prison for a violent assault on his deputy head, sparked by the discovery they were both having an affair with the same colleague, has broken his silence for the first time.
The Violent Confrontation at St Joseph's
Dr Anthony John Felton, 54, was the headteacher of St Joseph’s Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre in Port Talbot, south Wales, when he carried out the attack. On March 5, 2025, he repeatedly struck his deputy, 51-year-old Richard Pyke, on the head with a spanner. The assault occurred as Mr Pyke was simply sitting at his desk in the school office.
The court heard that the motive was a bitter love triangle. Felton had been having an affair with a female teacher at the school, a relationship that had resulted in the birth of a child, unknown to his wife Maria, who also taught there. His fury erupted after he discovered that the same woman was secretly seeing his deputy, Mr Pyke, following a school trip to Auschwitz.
A Fall from Grace and Custodial Sentence
The CCTV-captured attack left Richard Pyke with a head injury that required hospital treatment. Felton, who had been promoted to headteacher in 2023 after 17 years as head of mathematics, was swiftly convicted. At Swansea Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years and four months in jail for attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.
He served only five months before being released in the summer of last year under the Home Office Detention Curfew Scheme, which involved electronic tagging. Despite his release, an indefinite restraining order prevents him from ever contacting his victim, meaning a desired apology cannot be delivered.
First-Hand Account of Remorse and Prison Fear
Writing in Inside Time, the newspaper for prisoners and ex-offenders, Felton has now publicly expressed his shame. "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 wrote.
The married father-of-four from Gorseinon described fearing assault or rape in prison, leading to him being placed on suicide watch for his first nine days in custody. He conceded that the custodial sentence was justified for his actions, which he says he now deeply regrets.
The case highlighted a dramatic downfall for two previously respected educators at the 900-pupil school, who were once considered friends before the complex personal entanglements led to violence.
