Teachers thought they were ‘going to die’ in Ammanford school stabbing

Two teachers who were stabbed by a 14-year-old pupil astatine a Welsh schoolhouse thought they were going to die, a tribunal has heard.

Teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin, and a student, were injured successful the onslaught successful April, astatine Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, besides known arsenic Amman Valley School, successful Ammanford, Carmarthenshire.

The girl, who cannot beryllium named for ineligible reasons, antecedently admitted wounding with intent but has denied attempted murder.

I thought I was going to die, I thought that was it... Her look - she had mislaid it, the reddish mist had travel down, she had wholly mislaid it

Fiona Elias, teacher

Both teachers told constabulary they thought they were going to dice successful the attack, and Liz Hopkin, who was stabbed successful the neck, said she thought: “This is it.”

Swansea Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of the miss attacking the teachers, and constabulary interviews with those injured, arsenic the proceedings resumed connected Wednesday.

She could beryllium seen talking to the teachers extracurricular the main schoolhouse gathering earlier launching an onslaught connected Ms Elias, arsenic Ms Hopkin attempted to restrain her.

She past stabbed Ms Hopkin successful the limb and was capable to wrestle free, dropping the knife.

The teen past picked up the weapon again and began attacking Ms Hopkin.

The assemblage was shown constabulary interrogation footage with the teachers aft the stabbing.

Ms Elias, an adjunct caput astatine the school, described the miss arsenic “very menacing” portion she played with thing successful the close pouch of her achromatic cargo trousers.

The teacher said she had been acrophobic due to the fact that the miss had antecedently taken a weapon into school.

Ms Elias asked her what she was playing with, to which she replied “do you privation to spot what’s successful my pocket?” earlier bringing retired the weapon and opening to stab Ms Elias, saying, “I’m going to f****** termination you”.

The teacher said: “I thought I was going to die, I thought that was it.

“I tried to restrain her; I retrieve holding her arms.

“Her look – she had mislaid it, the reddish mist had travel down, she had wholly mislaid it.”

At that constituent Ms Hopkin, who was holding the pupil, shouted, “Fiona, conscionable go”.

Asked to picture the miss earlier the attack, Ms Elias said: “Very distant, precise menacing.

“Just looking astatine maine similar she was going to bash thing to me, successful a mode she was looking done me.”

She described being unsure what injuries she had suffered until she was sitting successful the bureau and had taken disconnected the yellowish high-vis overgarment she had been wearing.

A workfellow gave her archetypal assistance earlier paramedics arrived and she was taken to Morriston Hospital.

She sustained injuries to the apical of her close limb and near bicep, and a tiny chopped to her near hand.

Ms Hopkin told constabulary she had ne'er met the teen earlier but described her arsenic acting “really strangely”.

She told the police: “She conscionable said, ‘do you privation to spot what’s successful my pocket?’ It was precise deadpan and she past conscionable got a weapon retired of her pouch and went to stab Fiona.

“I wasn’t speedy capable to halt her. I was trying to clasp her arms down.

“You could spot that it was (Ms Elias) that she was after, truthful I said, ‘Fiona, spell go go’.

“I thought, I can’t fto go, but due to the fact that she had a overgarment connected I couldn’t get a grip.

“She stabbed maine successful the leg, that was the archetypal spot I got stabbed.”

As the miss picked the weapon up again, Ms Hopkin said she remembered the miss coming up to her “face on” and stabbing her successful the neck.

“I retrieve reasoning shit, this is it, she stabbed me,” she said.

“I was conscionable shouting for help, successful hindsight I should person shouted ‘knife’, I deliberation radical would person moved quicker, I could spot the kids and I was conscionable reasoning radical are going to get hurt.”

As she tried to get distant the miss stabbed her doubly successful the back.

Both the teachers got distant from the scene, temporarily leaving the miss connected her own.

She added: “I’m gladsome to beryllium live and I’m truly gladsome Fiona is alive. I consciousness if I hadn’t intervened, she could beryllium dormant now.”

Ms Hopkin was taken to the University Hospital of Wales successful Cardiff by aerial ambulance for treatment.

Assistant headteacher Stephen Hagget told the assemblage helium had attempted to calm the miss down, having been told determination had been a fight.

Giving grounds from the witnesser box, helium said: “As I approached her, I saw she was holding a weapon successful her close hand.

“I stayed astir six feet (from her) I told her to calm down and asked her to walk maine the knife.”

He said the miss told him she would termination Ms Elias if she saw her again.

Mr Hagget was joined by chap teacher Darrel Campbell, who tried to assistance calm the miss down.

He said the teen broke distant from them, moving astatine a pupil and trying to marque “a mates of attempts” to stab the different girl.

Mr Hagget past tried to springiness the pupil archetypal aid, starring her from the scene.

The assemblage besides heard from Mr Campbell, a erstwhile adjunct head, who had been asked to instrumentality to the schoolhouse aft retirement.

Mr Campbell said helium had not seen the weapon initially and had tried to pb the miss into the medication building, to get her distant from the crowds.

He said: “She turned astir and looked astatine different radical of pupils, 10 to 15 pupils, that were lasting astir 10 yards distant by the admin block.

“She turned to look astatine them, she fto retired a horrific scream, ‘I’m going to termination you, you bitch’.

“The shriek was similar thing retired of a fearfulness movie.”

As she began to deed her chap pupil, Mr Campbell said helium managed to restrain her, holding connected to her for immoderate clip earlier different teacher managed to instrumentality the weapon from her.

The assemblage was besides shown footage from a constabulary interrogation with the pupil who was stabbed successful the incident.

She told police: “I crook backmost circular and she’s conscionable moving astatine maine with a knife, I don’t retrieve everything that happened, I conscionable cognize that I was connected the level and she was trying to stab me.”

The miss was stabbed successful the limb and was scratched connected her broadside and hand.

The proceedings continues connected Thursday.