A loutish father has been jailed for attacking two teachers after his stepdaughter complained she was bullied.

Simon Morton stormed into her school and demanded the headteacher take action.

But a fight broke out in the reception of Patcham High School in Brighton with Morton, 38, knocking one teacher unconscious and grabbing another around the throat.

A jury yesterday took less than 30 minutes to convict Morton, of Ghyllside, Brighton, after a two-day trial at Lewes Crown Court.

The verdict was welcomed by assistant head Stephanie Brotherstone who said: "I am really delighted for teachers everywhere."

Morton and his partner had goaded his stepdaughter into fighting the girl who had allegedly bullied her, shouting: "Go on get her."

Ms Brotherstone, 42 stepped into stop the violence but was flung against a wall and knocked unconcious.

Another teacher, Colin Ashdown, 58, also an assistant head, was grabbed around the throat.

Headteacher Elizabeth Fletcher, who has since left the school, had to prise Morton's fingers away as Mr Ashdown was "red and spluttering."

Morton had denied assaulting Ms Brotherstone and causing her actual bodily harm but he admitted a charge of common assault relating to Mr Ashdown.

Ms Brotherstone stressed she had no personal feelings for the family involved but said she believed teachers across the Brighton and Hove education authority would be be pleased at the outcome of the trial.

She said: "A lot of people knew about the case and if justice had not been done we would have felt uncomfortable doing our job. As teachers we are just trying to do our best for the school and the pupils."

Jailing Morton for 17 months, Judge Richard Hayward condemned his behaviour towards the teachers, which took place in front of scores of pupils at lunchtime on February 25.

The judge said any responsible parent would have tried to stop any violence but Morton and his partner only encouraged his stepdaughter to fight.

He said: "Ms Brotherstone was unfortunately in your way and you swept her aside like a rag doll causing her to fall heavily to the ground. She has been traumatised by the whole incident."

The judge said it was a loss to the teaching profession that Mr Ashdown took early retirement after 38 years as a teacher because of the attack.

He said: "Your behaviour and that of your partner was a complete disgrace. One reads about loutish parents going to schools and threatening staff and you are one of them."

The court heard Morton had 45 previous convictions including for wounding, harassing his neighbours, assault, drugs and theft.

Morton told the court his stepdaughter, who is 14, had been bullied for 18 months and despite repeated complaints to the school the situation had not been resolved. On the day of the attacks, she had rung home to say she had been beaten up by 20 girls.

He said she had felt suicidal and hated him because he insisted she attended school.

After her distraught phone call, he and his partner went to meet her at school and found her hiding outside in a bush. She was scratched and bruised.

He said he felt let down when the headteacher did not immediately investigate his complaints because she was going to a funeral. He said: "I was shocked. She said it was six of one and half a dozen of the other. She said my stepdaughter was a prima donna and did I think she could be making it up. I was annoyed."

He denied goading his stepdaughter to fight the other girl and blamed his partner for egging her daughter on.

He said: "I was not encouraging the fight but I was not stopping it either."

He said he must have accidentally knocked over Ms Brotherstone as he rushed to stop Mr Ashdown from holding on to his stepdaughter to try to stop the fight.

He said: "I have pleaded guilty to grabbing hold of him and I admit I did wrong in the heat of the moment."

The court heard that after the incident, Morton's stepdaughter was withdrawn from the school.