Teacher beaten by student after stopping use of Nintendo Switch refuses to help lighten sentence
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
A Florida teacher who was beaten by a student after stopping him from gaming has refused to support a lighter sentence for the teen.
In February, Brendan Depa, then 17, attacked his high school teacher, Joan Naydich, after he told him to stop playing his Nintendo Switch in class.
Depa, who weighs 270 pounds, was seen on video kicking and punching the teacher in the back numerous times at Matanzas High School before staff intervened.
Naydich was left unconscious after the altercation, subsequently being taken to hospital and treated after the attack.
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It has also been reported that Depa threatened to kill the high school teacher during his arrest.
As Depa is now 18, he was charged with a first-degree felony charge of aggravated battery and now faces up to 30 years behind bars.
Initially, Depa was charged as a juvenile, which would have carried a lesser sentence. He has since been upgraded to an adult, with the New York Post reporting he is set to plead guilty in an attempt to avoid jail time.
Meanwhile, news site Flagler Live are reporting Naydich has 'shown no interest in mitigating what penalties Depa might face', while they also report the teen got into a brawl in jail just last month.
Depa had a previous criminal record prior to his attack on the teacher earlier this year, having had three battery arrests before, as per the Post.
It was previously reported that Naydich personally confiscated the Nintendo Switch from Depa, though this is something she's denied doing in many interviews.
Following the attack, a GoFundMe page was set up for the teacher for 'support and encouragement'.
More than $100,000 has been raised to date, with the teacher penning: "I’m hopeful that the awareness of this incident being spread far and wide will prevent anyone else from ever dealing with the trauma, physical healing and disruption of everyday life this has caused."
On the GoFundMe page, the fundraiser's organizer, Jessica White Leon, confirmed that Naydich is still yet to return to school following the incident.
She noted the 'crippling mental impact' the attack has had on the teacher in recent months.
As for Depa, he is set to issue his plea later this month and will be sentenced following that in a separate proceeding.
The New York Post reports that the high school where the assault took place has been dogged by violence in recent years.