SCHOOLBOY ACQUITTED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER STABBING TEACHER

A schoolboy has been acquitted of attempted murder but convicted of wounding with intent at Swansea Crown Court following an incident at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in Pembrokeshire in February. The defendant, who was 15 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, is now 16. The jury found him guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a kitchen knife on school grounds.

The court heard that on 5 February, the pupil approached his history teacher Vicki Williams at her desk to request she check his schoolwork. Ms Williams reported becoming alarmed when he shut the classroom door, claiming it was cold. The teenager then pulled a large kitchen knife from his bag and struck her in the head. The court was told a violent struggle followed in which Ms Williams attempted to take the knife from him before he left the school. Ms Williams attended hospital in Haverfordwest and was found to have sustained a scalp wound, scratches to her back and minor cuts to her hands. The defence suggested the student had brought the knife to school to show off to other boys and argued there was no recorded history of conflict between him and Ms Williams.

The teenager told the court he had "accidentally assaulted" Ms Williams during a struggle after she saw the knife in his rucksack and attempted to grab it. He later told his grandmother "something went in my head, nan" after leaving school premises. Sentencing has not yet been reported.