Schoolgirl sentenced to 15 years after attack

A 14-year-old girl who stabbed two teachers and a pupil while screaming “I’m going to kill you” has been sentenced to 15 years in detention.

The teenager, who cannot be named due to her age, will serve at least half the sentence in custody.

She was found guilty of attempted murder in a second trial at Swansea Crown Court in February after the first collapsed.

Fiona Elias, Liz Hopkin and a pupil were treated in hospital with stab wounds after the attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Carmarthenshire, last April.

Speaking in court, Ms Hopkins told the teenager “you are not a murderer” while Ms Elias said the defendant had put her, her family and the entire school “through hell”.

The teenager, who brought a weapon to school every day, used her father’s multi-tool knife to initially attack Ms Elias on 24 April 2024.

Judge Paul Thomas, sentencing, said the girl had not shown remorse and had attacked the three for attention.

The jury heard she repeatedly stabbed Ms Elias saying “I’m going to kill you” and the teacher suffered wounds to both arms.

Fellow pupils said the defendant previously told them she would stab Ms Elias and “do something stupid” that would get her expelled.

Ms Hopkin intervened during the incident to try and restrain the girl and was also stabbed, receiving injuries to her neck, back, legs and arms, the court heard.

After a “stand off”, the girl then ran at a 14-year-old pupil with the knife and shouted “I’m going to kill you” before stabbing her, causing a wound to the upper arm.

She was restrained by teacher Darrel Campbell until she was later arrested.

During the hearing, Ms Elias started reading her victim impact statement in tears and said she would never forget the moment she saw the tip of the blade.

“The image is etched in my mind,” she said, “it’s a moment that replays itself over and over”.

“The scars on my arms are a daily reminder of the pain I endured. She tried to murder me.”

Ms Elias said she has received counselling to “stop the spirals” before they “consume” her.

She said her daughter found out about her involvement in the incident on social media when a photo was shared of Ms Hopkin on a stretcher with the caption ‘RIP Mrs Elias’.

“Those three words have haunted her ever since,” she said.

Ms Elias addressed the teenager in court and said: “Your motive was clear, you tried to murder me.

“Thankfully, thanks to Liz’s selfless actions, you didn’t manage to finish what you started.

“You have put me, my family and the entire school though hell.”

Ms Elias said she had not ruled out meeting with the teenager in future, and will use her experience to campaign for teachers’ safety.

She finished her statement with the words her husband wrote in a card following the incident.

“I always knew that you give your time to the school, give your heart to the school, but I never expected you to give your blood,” Ms Elias said.

“I will always give my heart to Ysgol Dyffryn Aman,” she added.

Reading her statement, Ms Hopkin turned to look at the teenager and said her life had been changed forever due to the defendant’s “calculated violence”.

She told the court the scars from that day remain not only on her body but “deep within”.

“I was fighting for my life in a place where I should have felt safe,” she said, adding her son and husband who work at the school found her “in a pool of blood”.

“Although this has been the worst experience of my life, I’m glad it was me that was there that day,” she said.

“I’m glad I stopped you from killing [Fiona Elias]. I truly believe I saved you both that day. You are not a murderer.

“I would not let you carry out your plan. I’m still here, I’m still alive, though at the time I was sure I was going to die.”

Ms Hopkin said the girl had “been with her” every day since the attack.

Addressing the teenager, she said: “Despite what you did, I worry about your future.”

“I don’t want to be what happened that day to be what defines you.”

On Monday Judge Thomas said he believed the girl was not sorry for what she did, and that she “actually enjoyed” the publicity “in a weird way”.

“In my view, you wanted as many of you fellow pupils as possibly to see what you intended to do,” he said.

“I’ve watched you carefully over the two trials. I believe that what you did that day, you did above all, for attention. Attention, you perhaps haven’t had.”

Judge Thomas added the defendant had already “made serious threats to someone” since last April, and posed a potential risk even after custody.

“I hope you will go on to lead a good life,” he added as he passed the sentence.

The girl listened, her arms crossed, and she was taken back to the detention centre.

She will be almost 30 when her licence period ends.