Brave teacher saves schoolgirl from knife-wielding classmate during violent school attack

A schoolgirl making her way to lessons was stabbed in the leg and chest by a blade-wielding classmate who came “running” at her before being saved by a brave teacher who dragged her away, a court heard

The 13-year-old girl had seconds earlier allegedly attempted to murder two teachers who she stabbed in an explosion of violence at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, South Wales.

The classmate, aged 14 at the time, told how she was being told about a knife attack on assistant head Fiona Elias, 48,  and colleague Liz Hopkins, 53, when she was set upon herself by the girl with a two-inch fishing tool blade in April.

Swansea Crown Court heard the police interview in which the girl, now 15, told how she was making her way to a lesson when she noticed a “big crowd of people”.

She said: “I went over and I was asking, ‘What’s happened?’ And people were saying ‘She’s stabbed people, she’s stabbed teachers and she’s got a knife’. I saw her and I was like ‘Jeez’.

“She’s grabbing at me and going ‘I’m going to f****** kill you. I turned to my friend and said ‘Why the f***she threatening me for, I haven’t done anything’.

“I turned back round and she’s running at me with a knife. I know I was on the floor and she was trying to stab me. Sir dragged her off me and put her in an arm lock.”

The court heard rugby teacher Darrel Campbell intervened to tackle the girl, who cannot be named, and detained her in a classroom until police arrived.

After being arrested the now 14-year-old girl boasted to police: “All eyes will be on me now,” and “that’s one way of being a celebrity.”

She admits wounding three victims and possessing a bladed article but denies three charges of attempted murder.

The jury was told how both Mrs Elias and Mrs Hopkin were attacked after confronting the girl for trying to access a hall at the school before asking what was in her pocket.

The girl allegedly said: “Do you want to see what’s in my pocket?” before pulling out the silver blade and shouting “I’m going to f***ing kill you”.

William Hughes KC, prosecuting, said Mrs Elias was her “primary focus”, as she was stabbed repeatedly in the arm but special needs teacher Mrs Hopkin was the most seriously injured.

Mrs Elias told jurors: “I thought I was going to die. I thought that was it.”

All three victims were taken to hospital for treatment – Mrs Elias and the injured pupil were taken to Morriston Hospital.

Mrs Elias had stab and puncture wounds to her arms and to a thumb, and the pupil had wounds to her back and lesser injuries to her legs.

Mrs Hopkin was flown by air ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

She had stab wounds to her leg, a wound to the rear of the left side of the chest, and a stab wound at the top of the neck into the trapezius muscle.

All three were later released to recover at home.

The court heard a small knife – a vegetable type knife – was previously found in the schoolgirl’s bag, and she was excluded for a couple of days.

The school was placed into a “code red” lockdown for several hours before pupils were able to leave at about 3.20pm.

Police were called to the school and the teenager – with marks and scratched on her arms – was detained in a classroom before officers arrived and later arrested her.

While with officers, she asked them “I suppose things like this don’t happen very often” and “if they’re dead.”

She was interviewed on three occasions and replied “no comment” to all questions asked.

Mr Hughes said that while officers were searching her family home later that day, they found a notebook with a drawing of a female with words suggesting killing and death – and references to “burning” a person and cutting their “mouth and eyes to death.”

He said that it was “demonstrative her intent at the time and intent to kill.”

The trial continues.