Dad Jailed After Taking Axe Into Walsall School

17 March 2019, 12:18 | Updated: 17 March 2019, 12:21

36 year old Walsall father Stephen Cosgrove has been sentenced to a year in prison for public order offences after he treatened staff at Brownhills School in Deakin Avenue.

On the day his child had broken an arm he walked into school and racially insulted one of the teachers - returning the next day with axe.

Police emquiries into the child's injuries are ongoing.

PC Paul Watts, from West Midlands Police CID, said: "Both the aggressive incidents were witnessed by students at the school, who heard the swearing and racist language.

"What Cosgrove did was unacceptable and created fear for not only pupils, but the teachers who had to face him.

"I am glad we have brought this man to justice and hope it can serve as an example that we will not tolerate this type of abuse in our community."

In a victim impact statement, the teacher said: "I am a black teacher and this is my fifth year in my teaching career. I have never experienced extreme racial abuse, violent threatening behaviour and intimidating far right views from parents at school, as demonstrated by Cosgrove.

"The constant thought of his threatening acts of violence has caused me to avoid going out publicly due to the overwhelming fear of being injured or assaulted, which has left me feeling vulnerable."