Girl, 14, detained for 15 years for attempted murder of two teachers and pupil

A 14-year-old schoolgirl has been detained for 15 years for the attempted murder of two teachers and a pupil at a school in South Wales.

The girl armed herself with her father’s multi-tool before attacking teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin, and a pupil, at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on April 24 last year.

All were treated in hospital but survived the incident.

Guilty

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of attempted murder at Swansea Crown Court following a week-long trial earlier this year.

Judge Paul Thomas KC sentenced her to 15 years detention at the court on Monday, of which half is to be spent on remand.

In February, the judge said if she had been an adult the most likely outcome would have been a life sentence.

The girl had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent and a further count of possession of a bladed article on a school premises – but denied attempted murder.

As the girl attacked the first teacher, witnesses heard her yell, “I’m going to f****** kill you” and pull out a knife.

The jury also heard she had told friends she was going to “do something stupid that could get me expelled” which could involve Mrs Elias on the day of the attack.

‘Oopsies’

After she was arrested, the girl made a series of unsolicited comments in the back of a police vehicle, telling officers, “I stabbed her – oopsies.”

“I’m pretty sure this is going to be on the news, so more eyes will be looking at me,” she said.

“That’s one way to be a celebrity.”

She also asked, “are they dead” and “how am I going to face my family after what I’ve done?”

Swansea Crown Court was shown CCTV of the incident, showing the teenager, who was 13 at the time, attack Mrs Elias during the morning break using her father’s multi-tool.

Ms Hopkin stepped in to help, attempting to restrain the girl but was injured herself, receiving injuries to her neck, back and legs.

Other members of staff stepped in and attempted to calm the teenager, and she ran off to stab another girl before being restrained.

All three victims survived the attack, but Ms Hopkin, who was stabbed in the neck, had to be flown to Cardiff by air ambulance.

Ongoing impact

Following today’s sentencing, Detective Chief Superintendent Ross Evans of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “While this sentence marks the end of the criminal justice proceedings, and a year since the incident occurred, I understand that for the victims the impact remains ongoing.

“All three suffered physical harm at the hands of the defendant and although wounds can heal with time, it will take considerably longer to recover from the mental trauma her actions caused.

“We have heard from the victim impact statements that they relive the events on April 24, 2024 daily, which evidences the profound impact it had on their wellbeing. As we now leave the legal proceedings behind us, I wish all the victims well in their recovery.

“For the students who unfortunately witnessed such an act of violence as they went about their day, I sincerely hope they are still able to view their school as a place of safety, and that today’s sentence shows that any attempt to compromise school safety will not be tolerated.

“Finally, I would like to thank all our emergency services colleagues who responded on the day, along with the teachers and staff at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.Thanks also to Carmarthenshire County Council for the professional way in which they dealt with the incident and to the local community for the support they offered to pupils.”