Jurors have been shown the moment a schoolgirl stabbed two teachers and a fellow pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, also known as Amman Valley School, in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire in April. The CCTV of the 14-year-old girl attacking three people was shown in Swansea Crown Court.
It shows the girl stabbing teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin, and another girl. It also depicts her trying to attack Ms Elias on April 24 while Ms Hopkin tried to restrain her before she gets struck in the neck. The girl sat in court as the video was played in which she could also be seen moving on to stab another pupil before staff restrained her.
The girl has previously admitted wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article on school premises, but denies attempted murder. She cannot be named for legal reasons. Ms Hopkin was the worst injured, Prosecutor William Hughes KS said previously. She was flown to Cardiff with stab wounds to her neck, knee, lower leg, chest and under her shoulder blade. A hospital in Swansea treated Mrs Elias and the teenager also for stab wounds.
The Crown Prosecution service has released an edited version of the video showing the scuffle with the teachers in the moments before and after the attack, as well as what happened prior to those events. Jurors saw a detailed breakdown of the pupil’s movements throughout the day.
She can be seen walking into the lower school hall and sitting behind a curtain next to a stage for around half an hour, stabbing the knife into the floor. Later, she returned to the hall to join her friends. The girl then went outside after Ms Elias, first walking past her and then engaging in a confrontation that led to the attack.
It was 11.17am when her attack started on Ms Elias. Ms Hopkin is stabbed in the leg as she attempts to restrain her. Ms Elias manages to escape, but Ms Hopkin is stabbed once in the neck and then in the back. The girl then turns towards another pupil, yelling and striking her with the knife before being restrained by staff members.
The trial continues on Monday as the court further examines the harrowing events that unfolded at Amman Valley School.