Schoolboy shot PE teacher over hatred of rugby

[nick]

A schoolboy of 13 shot his PE teacher in the face because he did not want to play rugby, a court heard.

The teenager concealed a Beretta air pistol in his bag and went to the office of Darren Jones, which was next to the gym.

The boy alleged Mr Jones, 39, the school rugby coach, ignored a medical complaint about his feet, and “made” him play the sport, the youth court in Brecon, south Wales, was told.

Mr Jones was tying his laces in preparation for a lesson when he looked up and saw the boy pointing the air pistol at him.

Karen Kirkwood, prosecuting, said: "Mr Jones could not believe what he was seeing.

"He heard a sound like a firecracker going off, held his chin and noticed blood on his fingers. He realised he had been shot, stood up and saw the boy running away."

As the boy realised he was being pursued, he turned to point the weapon again at the games teacher.

Mrs Kirkwood said: "He drew the gun level to Mr Jones' head about six or seven metres away.

"Mr Jones dived for cover round a corner and when he looked out again moments later the boy was still there."

Mr Jones, a former Wales schoolboy rugby player, said he was "afraid and angry but never thought he was going to die."

He ran back to his office and shut the door but the pupil followed him and waited outside with the silver gun in his hand.

The court heard Mr Jones raised the alarm by telephone and the school went into "lockdown".

Armed police arrived and the boy was found later near the school swimming pool with a carrier bag containing the Beretta .177 CO2-powered air pistol.

Mr Jones was taken to hospital and discharged after treatment.

The court heard the teacher had previously given the boy detention and lines for not attending his games classes.

But the boy was later excused from physical education on medical grounds after producing a note from his parents.

The court heard the pupil still had to report to the twice-weekly games lessons to watch his classmates take part in sports.

The boy told police he did not like rugby or football and had a medical condition with his feet.

He said Mr Jones ignored him, made him play rugby and football and made him "feel bad".

He said he was "given lines as punishment and other pupils made fun of him". Police found a writing pad with the words: "I'll ------- kill you" in the boy's handwriting.

But when asked if it was a threat against Mr Jones the boy said: "No comment".

He also said: "I won't be shooting anyone again."

Dyfed Powys police went to the boy's home and found "a number of items of concern", including rifles and air rifles.

Mrs Kirkwood said: "They do not relate to the boy but were in the house where he was living. Police have taken action in relation to these items which have been seized."

The court heard firearms experts who examined the Beretta air pistol said it was not designed to kill but "was capable of doing so if misused."

The boy, who cannot be identified, admitted causing actual bodily harm, and possessing the Beretta with intent to cause fear of violence.

He was placed under an eight-month referral order after magistrates heard he was not considered to be a threat to the public, and was ordered to pay £300 compensation to Mr Jones.

The court heard it will be paid by his grandmother, with whom he lives.

Elizabeth Farmer, the bench chairman, told him: "You want to think about paying some of that back by not having pocket money for a long period of time."

The boy was told the referral order meant he would need to comply with social services and sign a contract to carry out activities "to prevent him offending again."

He was also put under an order not to contact Mr Jones, not to enter the school, or the local stores where his teacher shops.


Source (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8113136/Schoolboy-shot-PE-teacher-over-hatred-of-rugby.html)

[Harley Quinn]

Okay, now that's just horrible and ridiculous

[UnknownError]

Okay, now that's just horrible and ridiculous

Agreed.
And the bit about the "not entering shops" is just weird.

[PJay]

So obviously you dont shoot people even if it is with a weak ass air pistol. But some teachers are on a power trip and a lot of pe teachers I've met are pretty thick. If the guy had made the kid do sports he wasn't supposed to do for medical reasons he should be punished before the kid freaks out this much. We have a guy who doesn't believe asthma exists (srsly) and makes kids do cross country and stuff and they are even fainting, but in his head its just be cause they are lazy and unfit. Sounds like the problem started with the teacher here, in which case I don't feel too sorry for him.

[Kaius]

It doesn't give him the right to shoot him though. Nothing is worth that, its pathetic. He should have done what every other student does and gone to see the head about it if he didn't like it. PE is a mandatory part of education but no one can be forced to do something when they physically can't for a health reason, but that doesn't give the kid the right to go and shoot him.

[DarkHorses]

Even if the kid was mistreated by the gym teacher, he obviously has some kind of problem if he can't think rationally enough to realize that shooting the guy isn't the way to solve the issue. I don't feel sorry for him, because he should know not to go around shooting people when they make him angry. I think he should have been forced to get some professional help for his anger problem, since he obviously has one. How can they say he's not a threat to society if the first thing he does when he gets angry is shoot his gym teacher?

[PJay]

Of course it doesn't. But I dont believe any kid in my school would even think of going to the head to complain about a teacher. Especially if that teacher was basically a bully you are stuck with for the rest of the time your at school.

I'll say it again : OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T SHOOT PEOPLE - yes the kid totally needs some anger management help or whatever. My point is while we're getting people help, lets sort out why this teacher thinks its ok to force kids to do stuff against doctors advice (apparently) and why schools are making kids do sports they hate or aren't physically ready for. They are supposed to be educating us in healthy lifestyles for our futures, and this teacher sounds like he doesn't get that.

[DarkHorses]

Of course it doesn't. But I dont believe any kid in my school would even think of going to the head to complain about a teacher. Especially if that teacher was basically a bully you are stuck with for the rest of the time your at school.

I'll say it again : OBVIOUSLY YOU DON'T SHOOT PEOPLE - yes the kid totally needs some anger management help or whatever. My point is while we're getting people help, lets sort out why this teacher thinks its ok to force kids to do stuff against doctors advice (apparently) and why schools are making kids do sports they hate or aren't physically ready for. They are supposed to be educating us in healthy lifestyles for our futures, and this teacher sounds like he doesn't get that.

I don't know if you can really come to that conclusion though, because there's no proof beside the boy's word that the gym teacher went against the doctor's advice. The kid could generally dislike the teacher and is trying to come up with an excuse for why he would want to shoot him, when really the teacher did nothing wrong. Unless someone else in the gym class or a teacher agreed that the teacher did this, you can't know for sure that he did anything wrong.

[PJay]

I said "apparently" because you can't draw conclusions about this one teacher. But the other part is fact based on personal experience : schools in the uk dont have the money to offer a good range of sports (although this one had a pool which is unusual!). So you usually get everyone having to do football, rugby and athletics for games, and at our place the teachers love to make us do cross country because they dont have to put effort into it, there's no kit to set up etc. Personally I love sports but I prefer doing ones I enjoy then I work at it and do it in my own time too. I'm lucky because my school is on a river and we have rowing and kayaking too (but its also a private school so has more money to buy boats etc). Games teachers I know are obsessed with either football or rugby and see doing anything else as a chore from what I've seen.

I'm guessing you dont get cross enough to do something like this without there being a reason though. What the kid did was wrong, but we should be looking at what kicked it off. He might be a nutter and just randomly hate people, but I doubt its as simple as that given what I've said above.

[Amnesiac]

Wow, somebody hates rugby?

This is sickening, I can only imagine why someone would be stupid enough to let him get away with having a high-powered air pistol.

[Perseus]

Wow, somebody hates rugby?


Not everyone is Australian. :P

[Jess]

that is just....omg. what was he doing with a gun? That's like the boy that killed both his parents because he didn't like doing chores (months ago)

[nick]

Look if you have a medical problem that means you cant do a sport your parent sends in a note. If that doesnt work your doctor backs it up. If the PE teacher ignores it your parents take it up with the school because the teacher is out of order. You do not shoot your teacher. Ok?

[Peace God]

That's what im talkin about!
...go out like a G.

[steve1234]

£300 compensation? Is that it? He should be punished more for this.

Its true that this PE teacher should not have 'made him' play sports if he had a valid excuse not to, but this is just horrific. Just think what this kid will be capable of doing in older years.

[Amnesiac]

Not everyone is Australian. :P

But dude. It's rugby. Nobody hates rugby.

[Cloud]

teacher shouldve tackled the fucker

that wouldve just been icing on the cake of the kid being screwed

[Peace God]

Nobody hates rugby.
that's because nobody cares enough about rugby to have emotions towards it

[Perseus]

that's because nobody cares enough about rugby to have emotions towards it

This is how I feel. :P

[UnknownError]

But dude. It's rugby. Nobody hates rugby.

You've never been to Scotland.

[Amnesiac]

You've never been to Scotland.

I haven't :P

that's because nobody cares enough about rugby to have emotions towards it

This is how I feel. :P

You Americans don't know anything about rugby :P

[Perseus]

You Americans don't know anything about rugby :P

Because we have football. :P

[UnknownError]

Because we have football. :P

Which us Britsa dont care about.
Because we have our football. :3

[Peace God]

You Americans don't know anything about rugby :P
:usflag: Closed minded and proud of it. Since 1776.

[Cloud]

Because we have football. :P

yum helmets and pads
rugby players and your football players are the same size when their ready to play
and rugby players are still bigger, even without the few pads they may use
and hats too
wtf

[Amnesiac]

Because we have football. :P

:usflag: Closed minded and proud of it. Since 1776.

I live in Texas. The close mindedness is absurd.

[Kahn]

http://pawsru.org/f/src/f36811_hemad.jpg

[Sith Lord 13]

You want to know what I see in this story? A kid who was terrorized by a school official and finally snapped. The kid needs psychiatric help, but I'd like to see some punishment for the teacher (assuming the kid's claims are real and not made up). Endangering the welfare of a minor sounds about right.

[Peace God]

He ran back to his office and shut the door but the pupil followed him and waited outside with the silver gun in his hand.

Definitely my favorite part.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You want to know what I see in this story? A kid who was terrorized by a school official and finally snapped. The kid needs psychiatric help, but I'd like to see some punishment for the teacher (assuming the kid's claims are real and not made up). Endangering the welfare of a minor sounds about right.
Hey, that's not how we do things on VT. You're not supposed to have any sympathy for the criminal. Just point out how personally outraged and disgusted you are. Associate the criminal with other criminals(preferably more violent criminals). And then demand more punishment than the justice system has already given.

comme ça...
That's like the boy that killed both his parents because he didn't like doing chores

£300 compensation? Is that it? He should be punished more for this.

[ShatteredWings]

Hey, that's not how we do things on VT. You're not supposed to have any sympathy for the criminal. Just point out how personally outraged and disgusted you are. Associate the criminal with other criminals(preferably more violent criminals). And then demand more punishment than the justice system has already given.
Most of what he says that's contraversial is playing devils advocate.

However, i'd agree with his statement.
Teacher was fucked.
Did the kid respond properly, hell no, but if you're not able to play they shouldn't make you.

[mrmcdonaldduck]

pshah, who likes union?

LEAGUE ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but yeah, bad idea to shoot your teacher over rugby.

[curious_boy]

thats just mental!

[AnimeLover1991]

This boy is just outright crazy, and needs help seriously.

[Chris_Likes_Drums]

TBH, people saying it's the teachers fault for not accepting the note... Do you lot know how many forged notes people make so they dont have to do PE, and they're from parents, not doctors. I'd say he wrote it or got a friend to write it if you ask me. It's only a bit of PE, I dont always wanna do It but I've never shot a teacher in the face before! and if he had firearms (even if only air based) then he intended to use them at some point!

[ShatteredWings]

TBH, people saying it's the teachers fault for not accepting the note... Do you lot know how many forged notes people make so they dont have to do PE, and they're from parents, not doctors. I'd say he wrote it or got a friend to write it if you ask me. It's only a bit of PE, I dont always wanna do It but I've never shot a teacher in the face before! and if he had firearms (even if only air based) then he intended to use them at some point!

So we shouldn't believe any PE notes?

[Kaius]

No, he didn't say that. Teachers have a pretty good eye at spotting forged notes. You can get a pretty good idea by the amount of notes handed in and can tell when the handwriting is different that its a faked note. News articles are don't always give the full details so for all we know the teacher could have refused it for that exact reason.

[Fact]

IMO, the child has problems. It says he lives with his grandmother, where are his parents? That might be linked to the reasons he's disturbed, which I think he is.
This situation was probably exacerbated by the teacher, too.
Things like this shouldn't have to happen for problems to be sorted out...