A GWENT man who threatened to rip off a teacher's face has been jailed for four months.

Peter Gyomrey, aged 40, of St David's Road, Abergavenny, attacked teacher Gwenda Binns at the town's King Henry VIII School, after becoming convinced she had bullied one of his relatives, who is a pupil there.

He had previously pleaded guilty to affray and causing actual bodily harm on March 4.

Prosecutor Chris Woolley told Newport magistrates: "Mrs Gwenda Binns and her pregnant colleague, Mrs Joannah Fletcher, were shocked and visibly frightened when Gyomrey became more aggressive and intimidating."

In statements, both teachers said they were frightened of Gyomrey pushing the pregnant Mrs Fletcher.

The court heard that Gyomrey leaned across the desk, put his hands next to Mrs Binns' throat, and said: "I will rip your ****ing face off if you ever pick on him again."

Assistant head teacher Barrie Griffiths arrived and tried to calm the situation, but Gyomrey reacted by shouting into his face: "I used to come to this school, I used to fight teachers and win, and I'll do it again."

After about 15 minutes, magistrates heard, Gyomrey left, but not before saying to Mrs Binns: "If I get another call I will come back for you."

There was nothing to suggest the teachers behaved in anything but a totally professional way to the pupil, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Huw Medlicott said a prison term would be counter- productive, that Gyomrey had fully co-operated with the police and that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Before sentencing, Newport magistrates read a victim statement from Mrs Binns, who has been unable to return to work for any length of time because of the incident.

In it she described how she went from being a confident, happy individual, to being afraid to go out, timid and "hardly recognisable to friends".

After the case Mr Woolley, Gwent's chief Crown prosecutor, said her statement was an important factor in securing a prison sentence.

Mr Wooley said: "These statements allow the court to take the victim's feelings into account, and in this case it was very important because the assault charge was based on psychological rather than physical damage."