Teacher whips out knife and threatens to kill student in classroom joke
A teacher in the UK put a pupil in a headlock, whipped out a knife and put it to the 12-year-old's throat.
He then threatened to kill the the boy for giving the wrong answer during a geography lesson.
John Holmes, 53, claims it was just a bit of "jovial" fun with his class at Landau Forte College in Derby.
Understandably, the National Council for Teaching and Leadership panel didn't quite see it that way.
He was found guilty of "unacceptable professional conduct" and banned from classrooms in the country for two years, Mail Online reported on Thursday.
Not an actual threat
Mirror reported an official, Mr Paul Heathcote, as saying: "Mr Holmes' actions were not perceived by pupil B (the boy who was threatened) or other pupils in the class to be a genuine threat.
"Mr Holmes is an experienced and successful teacher, valued by the school and many of its pupils. His current employer has provided a positive testimonial. However, his conduct represents serious departure from the personal and professional conduct elements of the Teachers' Standards."
"He was in possession of a bladed or pointed article on school premises and there is a strong public interest in deterring the carrying and use of knives in schools. He has not shown clear insight into the implications of his behaviour."
The incident happened in August 2012 during an end-of-year geography quiz.
Holmes' employment at Landau Forte College, where he had taught for 21 years, was terminated a year after the incident.
Sources: Mail Online, Mirror
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