A 14-year-old girl has been found guilty of attempted murder for stabbing two teachers and a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Carmarthenshire in April last year. The girl, who cannot be named due to her age, had previously denied three counts of attempted murder but admitted to the stabbings. After a week of evidence and CCTV footage shown to the jury at Swansea Crown Court, they reached their verdict. Fiona Elias, Liz Hopkin, and the pupil were hospitalized after the attack. The defendant, who had been bringing a weapon to school daily, took her father’s multi-tool knife and first attacked Fiona Elias before moving on to Liz Hopkin and then the pupil. The jury heard how she threatened to kill the victims during the attack. The girl is set to be sentenced on 28 April. Witnesses reported that the girl had expressed intentions to harm the teachers and cause chaos at the school, with drawings found in her notebooks indicating her violent thoughts. The court also heard about her history of being bullied and self-harming. Following the incident, the school went into lockdown as police investigated the matter. Ms. Elias spoke outside the court, emphasizing the need for a safe environment for teachers and staff, denouncing violence and calling for preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.
In a message to students nationwide, she expressed her hope that no one else would have to go through the terrible ordeal she endured over the past nine months. She extended her gratitude to friends, family, and Ms. Hopkin, acknowledging the latter’s bravery as instrumental in her being present there that day. She stated, “Liz, mere words cannot adequately convey my gratitude.” Outside the school, concerned parents gathered, eager for updates on their children following the distressing incident [source: BBC]. Nicola Fitzpatrick, the Wales secretary of the National Education Union, emphasized the importance of addressing youth violence with a broader public health approach. She highlighted the challenges young people face today, such as the impact of Covid, the cost of living crisis, and exposure to inappropriate content on social media and online platforms. Detective Chief Superintendent Ross Evans of Dyfed Powys Police stressed that schools should be safe havens for students, free from weapons. He asserted the police’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding children and staff. The Crown Prosecution Service’s Michael Cray described the event as terrifying for the victims and witnesses, praising the courage shown by the school’s staff and students. Carmarthenshire council leader Darren Price condemned the incident, stating that violence has no place in schools or society at large. The Welsh government echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that any violence or abuse towards school staff is intolerable. They affirmed that schools have the authority to promptly expel any student found in possession of a weapon. The article also mentions the account of a teacher who narrowly escaped death during the stabbing incident and details from court proceedings related to the case, as well as an increase in police presence at the school following the triple stabbing.
