Science teacher 'yelled "Die, die, die" as he beat pupil around the head with dumbbell

A teacher shouted 'Die, die, die' as he bludgeoned a 14-year-old boy with a metal dumbbell after being baited by an unruly class of teenagers who were secretly filming him, a court heard today.

Peter Harvey, 50, eventually 'snapped' after the boy 'lit the blue touch paper' by telling him to 'F*** off'.

A jury heard how the science teacher then dragged the boy out of a class and across a corridor before hitting him twice over the head with the 3kg weight.

Prosecutor Stuart Rafferty QC said Harvey was heard shouting 'Die, die, die' as he carried out the assault, which was partially recorded by a CCTV camera in the corridor and a pupil using a hidden camcorder at the back of the classroom.

The teacher had been off work for four months with stress and depression after confiding to a colleague that he felt he 'could not be trusted' and may 'harm someone'.

Mr Rafferty said at least some of the pupils knew of the teacher's history, regarded him as a 'soft touch when it came to discipline' and tried to 'push the boundaries'.

The footage, which was shown to the jury during the opening of Harvey's trial today, began after the father-of-two had been in an altercation with a female pupil who had been 'messing about' with window blinds and a white board.

One pupil then called the teacher a 'bald-headed b******', prompting classmates on the video to taunt Harvey with shouts of 'psycho'

Harvey is alleged to have dragged her away from the window by her bag before kicking her in the leg. She then called him a 'bald-headed b******', prompting classmates on the video to taunt Harvey with shouts of 'psycho'.

Moments before the attack, the teacher, who had been on the staff at the school for 16 years before the incident last July, was recorded warning the boy to put down a wooden metre ruler 'or he would regret it'.

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