A BARROW man has described the horrifying ordeal his girlfriend was put through when her ex-husband chased them in a high-speed pursuit through the streets during a bitter divorce battle.

Former Barrow AFC player and assistant manager Alan Cook was found guilty of assault by beating after a trial at Furness Magistrates' Court last Wednesday. He was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £100 compensation, a £170 victim surcharge and £620 in court costs.

The court heard how Cook's marriage of 21 years came to an end last May when his wife Janine asked him for a divorce on their wedding anniversary. She confessed to having met someone else - Gary Atkinson.

Describing the circumstances of the assault, on September of last year, Mr Atkinson told the Evening Mail that he and Mrs Cook had been in the car when they spotted her ex. Cook, headteacher at Arnside National Primary School, then followed the couple, driving aggressively and flashing his lights in an attempt to get them to stop.

Eventually, Mr Atkinson, of Glenridding Drive, decided to pull over.

"He was driving really close, Jan was terrified," the 50-year-old recalled.

"We stopped and, because he was so close, his car bumped into the back of ours. We both got out and he came over and started kicking and punching me. Passers-by were watching, with kids in their cars, he had a total disregard for anyone or anything."

Mr Atkinson revealed how in the weeks and months leading up to her 21st wedding anniversary, Mrs Cook had worn a hidden camera on her clothes to capture some of the animosity and arguments between her and her husband.

Mr Atkinson and Mrs Cook, a teaching assistant at Dowdales in Dalton, have known each other for a number of years, although Mr Atkinson maintains they only became a couple after Mrs Cook asked for a divorce.

He said: "We've known each other since we were kids, Jan sat next to my brother in maths at school. Alan didn't find out about us until July.

"We'd had feelings for each other but nothing happened until after they separated."

After the attack, Mr Atkinson, a skip wagon driver at Barrow-based JJC, said he had been reluctant to report the matter to police.

"I had no choice," he explained. "I just wanted him out of our lives.

"They're now going through a messy divorce. They've got two sons together, aged 20 and 15, and they've got the house and a holiday home in Spain, so it's quite complex."

Speaking from his home at The Gardens in Hawcoat after the trial, Cook declined to comment but vowed to launch an appeal against his conviction.

Cook, 62, has been headteacher at Arnside National Primary School since 1992. He was suspended on full pay last November pending the outcome of the trial and the governors will now meet to decide his fate.

ALAN COOK: A COLOURFUL CAREER

AS a semi-professional footballer, Alan Cook made 216 appearances for Barrow AFC between 1975 and 1979.

He also played for Lancaster City, Northwich Victoria, Workington and Kendal Town before taking up a role as assistant manager of Barrow AFC and manager of Workington and Kendal Town.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Cook was born in Durham was educated in the North East before graduating from Lancaster University and Manchester University.

His profile describes him as an accredited Ofsted inspector and a National Leader of Education. He led the South Lakes Rural Education Partnership and was a School Improvement Partner for Blackburn with Darwen Local Education Authority from 2008 to 2010.

He has been headteacher of Arnside National Primary School since 1992.

He is a National Leader of Education (NLE) - a title bestowed on outstanding headteachers or principals who, together with the staff in their schools, use their skills and experience to support schools in challenging circumstances. In addition to leading their own schools, NLEs work to increase the leadership capacity of other schools to help raise standards.


Arnside Primary School Arnside National Primary School gained academy status in 2011 and was designated a Teaching Schoool in 2013. Teaching schools are outstanding schools that work with others to provide high-quality training and development to new and experienced school staff.