Teacher runs amok with sword

Published on Daily Express: Thursday, January 20, 2011

Kudat: A group of teachers ran helter-skelter and hid in a mangrove swamp for about 10 hours after one of their colleagues went berserk and threatened them with a Samurai sword in the middle of the night.
The man, in his 30s, went over to the teachers' quarters and flayed his sword on the wall, rousing the startled teachers from sleep.
The incident took place at about midnight Sunday at Kg Sabur in Banggi Island, off here, where he and the group of teachers taught at SK Sabur.
It was learnt that one of the teachers opened the door and saw him brandishing the sword, waving it threateningly at them and striking it on the wall.
Fearing for their lives, the 14 teachers dashed out of their quarters and into the swamp to hide, emerging only after they heard the police turn up at about 10am Monday.
District Police Chief DSP Dawi Ossen on Wednesday said police who were alerted by one of the teachers could not get there sooner owing to strong winds and stormy conditions in the sea.
Explaining that they had to call for help from the police air wing, he said a helicopter and boat finally got to the island where police lost no time in arresting the man.
It was learnt that the teacher from Ranau is married to a local and has also been teaching in the school for eight years.
Dawi said police nabbed him near his house not far from the school at about 10am.
"During the arrest, he did not struggle and we also confiscated the weapon used from him.
However, police are still investigating the cause of his behaviour."
He said the suspect remained quiet when questioned by police and that they had also spoken to his wife who is traumatised and at a loss as to why her husband behaved in such a manner.
He added that the teacher would be remanded for four days from Wednesday under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation which is punishable by a prison term of up to two years or with a fine or both.