Peter Clague finally faces the music:

Peter Cleague - a good role model for youth?

Police refused to charge Kristin College principal Peter Clague after his wife made a formal complaint of assault against him.

He will now face the Court to answer to the charge as he prepares to start a new job at a prestigious English school, after his ex-wife launched a private prosecution against him.

The Police issued a warning to Peter Clague in response to the formal complaint but refused to lay charges.

Now, Clague, 48, faces a charge of male assaults female for an incident at his Greenhithe home in September 2010, which carries a possible sentence of two years imprisonment. Clague's ex-wife, Jeanne Jackman, alleges Clague ran at her in anger, shook her by the shoulders, and pushed her on to stairs, causing her to fracture her tailbone. She also alleges Clague had previously been psychologically abusive.

Barrister Michael Lloyd will represent Clague this month. He stated "Peter's told me about this and we're working out how we're going to handle it all but that's really as far as it's gone, so I can't really say a whole lot more than that," he said this week. "It's the same case ... she's giving it another flogging now."  An extraordinary statement indeed for a barrister to make.

Clague previously told the Herald on Sunday: "My career is on the whim of a woman who is angry over a break-up ... principals don't come back from false allegations like this."  Which is very interesting when you consider how the principal of the South End school in Carterton was involved in the extreme corruption which has only just recently been validated by the Ombudsmen's Office, involving slanderous and defamatory false allegations of a very serious nature made by the principal and others against the manager of the local community gardens, who was supporting students in a particularly positive manner (which of course did not suit those people who were and are exploiting vulnerable young people in our community), not to mention the history of other allegations against Peter Clague and the allegations and supporting evidence of his involvement in endorsing the taxpayer funded statutory rape of a 14 year old.

Clague previously claimed that he and Jackman argued in their home's driveway and Jackman became upset.

In documents filed with the court this week, Jackman said she wanted to bring the prosecution against Clague before he left in August for his role at 500-year-old Bromsgrove School in Worcestershire.

Jeanne Jackman said she filed the private prosecution after police refused to act. Police said they could issue only a warning because the alleged assault happened more than two years earlier - too long ago to prosecute.

Clague was previously associate deputy head at Wanganui Collegiate.

Jackman is the director of a professional coaching company and the North Harbour Living Without Violence service.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed Clague will appear at the North Shore District Court on May 20.