An primary school teacher in Alexandroupolis, reportedly locked up students in his classroom on Thursday and started hurling books at them while turning desks upside down. As Athens News Agency reports, the school’s headmistress reported the incident to the Alexandroupolis police precinct, which proceeded to file a lawsuit against the teacher. Sources say that the children had been effectively held hostages in their classroom by the 43-year-old educator. Two of the children who had were granted permission to leave the room moments before the man locked the rest inside informed the headmistress of the situation when they were unable to get back inside and the row they could hear coming from in the class. The incident came to an end when the teacher himself unlocked the room and left school.

The 43-year-old, who had previously been accused of displaying inappropriate behaviour in the past at the same school, was finally arrested by police.

The teacher initially received a 16-month prison sentence but was ordered to undergo immediate psychiatric treatment after his lawyer appealed.