Teacher questioned about pupil's attempted murder
- 00:01:02
- ITN
Teacher questioned about pupil's attempted murder
A 14-year-old boy is fighting for his life after allegedly being hit with a metal weight by his science teacher during a lesson. Jack Waterhouse received serious head injuries during the incident at All Saints' Roman Catholic School in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on Wednesday morning. Police said there was grave concern for his life. His science teacher Peter Harvey, 49, is being questioned by police on suspicion of attempted murder, and is also being quizzed about assaults on another boy and a girl at the school. Officers were called to the school after paramedics were called and arrived to find Jack unconscious in a pool of blood at the entrance to a classroom in the science block. There were more than 20 pupils in the classroom at 11am on Wednesday when the incident took place. Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson said: "The school, the teachers and the parents are absolutely shocked. It was a trauma to all those involved." He added: "It was a full, lively classroom and I can understand the trauma to all the staff. Something like this is very, very rare and it's important to get to the truth of what has happened. "We have a full picture of what has taken place and so the welfare of the child and his family are the main concern." Mr Harvey, who is local to the area, remains in custody at Mansfield police station. Jack was taken from the blood-spattered classroom to the King's Mill Hospital in Mansfield, where his condition deteriorated. He was transferred later that day to a specialist head injury unit at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham. Police said there was grave concern for his life and his condition is described as stable but serious. Another boy and a girl, both 14 and in Jack's Year 9 class, were allegedly assaulted during the same incident but did not need hospital treatment. Mayor of Mansfield Tony Egginton, whose daughter is a pupil at the school, said: "It's exceedingly sad that this happened. We don't know the full details but it does seem bizarre that this has happened. It's very concerning. "All Saints is a very reputable school and it has performed extremely well."
ITN | July 10, 2009
