Headteacher attacked by angry dad hits out at parents' lack of respect

A headteacher has spoken of the daily fear and intimidation teachers face – from disrespectful parents.

Kieran Heakin, 60, spoke out after two assaults on him: one that left him needing facial reconstruction surgery, and the latest in which he was grabbed by the throat in a 'savage' attack on him my a pupil's father.

Mr Heakin said: "We are just like NHS staff on a Saturday night where people come into a hospital accident and emergency department and do not have any respect for those people who are trying to help.

"Each day you just do not know what is going to happen that day and it could be that a trivial incident turns into a major incident."

His comments came after a court case which heard a furious dad attacked him after claiming that his son was being bullied.

As another teacher tried to intervene, the raging father also tried to knee and headbutt Mr Heakin, shouting: "Now I am really going to hurt you".

The head, who has taught for 40 years, was left sore and bruised. It was the second time he had been injured in a violent attack.

In 2009, Mr Heakin, head of St John the Baptist Roman Catholic school in Burnley, Lancs, was beaten up by former pupil Jermaine Bullen, then 26, who harboured a 20-year grudge against him - falsely claiming he used to cane him when he was six years old.

The attack left Mr Heakin needing facial reconstruction surgery. He had four metal plates fitted and is now permanently deaf in one ear, and has no sense of smell and taste.

Bullen was jailed indefinitely for public protection to serve a minimum of three years after admitting GBH with intent.

Re-living the latest attack, last November, Mr Heakin said the father - who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child - stormed into the school with his son to talk about taking him out of classes.

He blocked the door of the study to prevent Mr Heakin from leaving his office and then assaulted him.

"He was frustrated and wasn't making any sense," said Mr Heakin.

"He said that his son had been bullied but we had no evidence or reports of that and if we did we would have followed our procedure.

"He then started to strangle me. I managed to get free but then he punched me twice in the arms and in my ribs.

"He was a well-built man and so the blows were hard. Then he came right up so that his nose was touching mine and said 'now I am really going to hurt you' and kneed me twice in the groin area.

"It was a savage attack. I was concerned for my own safety so I grabbed him by both wrists and held him very strongly for about two minutes while we got help.


At Burnley magistrates court on Tuesday the dad - who cannot be identified to protect the identity of his son -was found guilty of two counts of assault and was given 16 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, with 12 months supervision and a 12 week, 7pm to 7am curfew.

He was also ordered to pay £100 compensation and £200 costs.

His lawyer Mr Julian Goode said; ''He makes no attempt to justify his actions by any means at all. He accepts his actions were unjustifiable and should not have taken place.



"