Man arrested in connection with Aberfan stabbing

Emily Price

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the stabbing of a 29 year old woman who is reportedly pregnant in Aberfan on Tuesday morning.

Armed police were seen escorting a man from a property in Wyndham Street, Troedyrhiw at about 4pm this afternoon.

Chief Inspector Rob Miles, of South Wales Police, read a statement outside Merthyr police station in which he said the woman had been the victim of a “targeted attack”.

“South Wales Police were called just after 9.10am following reports that a woman had been stabbed in Moy Road, Aberfan,” he said.

“The suspect left the scene immediately and armed officers have been carrying inquiries throughout the day to trace him.

“This afternoon a 28-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

“The man was known to the victim and is currently in police custody.”
South Wales Police said the arrested man, who was from Merthyr, was detained at 3.50pm in the local area.

Mr Miles continued: “I appreciate that there will be a real sense of shock to the local community with the attack having happened in broad daylight.

“Local schools activated the lockdown protocols to keep people safe.

“Neighbourhood officers have been in the area to ensure pupils have been able to leave the school safely at the normal time.

“This was done as a precaution and schools will open tomorrow as normal.

“This was a targeted attack.

“The woman remains in hospital with injuries which are not believed to be life threatening at this time.

“I want to thank the local community and partners for their patience and support throughout today’s police operation to trace and arrest the suspect.”

Scream

Lynne Terrett, from Merthyr Tydfil, told the PA news agency her daughter, Kira Terrett, was walking her dog near home when she saw the attack.

She said her daughter looked around when she heard the sound of the woman running towards her.

“(The woman) fell,” she said.

“My daughter screamed and people came out from everywhere.”

She said the knifeman fled.

“If she had not screamed, people would not have gone out,” she said.

Ms Terrett said her daughter was shaken, and added that the victim was pregnant.

The arrest came following a man hunt which saw local schools lockdown.

Children at Ynysowen Primary School stayed inside with the curtains closed and weren’t allowed to go out to play.

The youngsters were allowed to go home at 3pm and were collected by anxious parents and overseen by officers outside the school gates.

Armed police, ambulances and a helicopter were at the scene in Moy Road, Aberfan just after 9 o’ clock this morning after a woman was heard screaming.

Helicopter

Aberfan resident, Dafydd Price said: “I came back from the school run this morning and saw about five police cars and ambulances race past my house. I went outside and there was a helicopter overhead.

“I watched it fly down the valley toward the school and it hovered there for a while. I left the house straight away and walked down the street to see what was going on.

“There were people gathered by the shop in Merthyr Vale talking about the helicopter. Armed police came up the hill and went down to the train station. I wanted to go straight to the school to pick up my daughter but I got a text message from the head teacher telling parents to stay away.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen around here.”

Another resident told Nation.Cymru she had been stopped by armed police and asked for train times.

She said: “Two riot vans pulled up by Merthyr Vale station. Cops came out and then got a radio call. All jumped back in and sped off again.”

Stagecoach has diverted buses away from the Aberfan area.

MP for Merthyr Tydfil, Gerald Jones told Sky news: “Aberfan is a very close knit and tight community. The community centre and the schools have locked down because they are in very close proximity to the incident in Moy Road.

“There is undoubtedly serious concern within the community this morning and hopefully the police can be given the time to deal with this incident that’s developing.”

“I have spoken to police regarding a serious incident in Aberfan this morning.

One person was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff for treatment.

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Arrest

Stagecoach buses were diverted away from area and residents were urged to stay indoors.

In statement, South Wales Police said: “Following a report that a 29-year-old woman had been stabbed on Moy Road, #Aberfan, #Merthyr earlier this morning, officers have arrested a 28-year- old man from Merthyr on suspicion of attempt murder.

“He is currently in police custody.”

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We sent one emergency ambulance, one air ambulance and one Cymru high acuity response unit to the scene, where advanced critical care support was delivered by the emergency medical retrieval and transfer service.

“We conveyed one patient by road to University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, for further treatment.”