Well, his trial has started, for Attempted murder. The BBC has this.
Firstly I am surprised he is not claiming diminished responsibility. He is merely pleading guilty to GBH.
From the trial it really does appear as if his class was a living hell for him. Given that he had been off sick because he feared he might hurt someone, you do really have to ask what support he was given. Many of these points I made in the original article.
One thing this does draw in to sharp relief though is school discipline. Clearly this needs fixing.
I feel very sorry for all those involved.
Update 14th of May 2010 to reflect a section 39 order I have been made aware off.
3 comments:
Diminished responsibility is only a defence to murder.
I feel sorry for Peter Harvey. Discipline in classrooms is a thing of the past and teachers like Peter Harvey are suffering because of it. Teenagers like the one in this incident have absolutely no respect for teachers. Schools need to tighten up their rules & regulations and insist on "zero tolerance" for disrespectful behaviour in class.
Discipline in school has been lacking since I was a teenager (I'm 37 now). When I was in class I had a choice, shut up and let the bully's take over or stand up to them and get my own taunting. It seems like nothing has changed.
I wish he could have walked out, left the class unattended and not hurt a child, but I recognise that this was someone pushed beyond rationality and I am so hopeful for the future of my children that the judge and jury found him not guilty.
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