A 16-year-old schoolboy who stabbed his history teacher in the head with a kitchen knife has been found not guilty of attempted murder but convicted of wounding with intent. The verdict, delivered at Swansea Crown Court on Monday, followed a trial that heard the boy launched a “sustained attack” on Vicki Williams at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on February 5.
The teenager, who was 15 at the time, entered an empty classroom and asked Williams to check his schoolwork. She told the court that “alarm bells” rang when he shut the door. He then pulled a knife from his bag and struck her in the head. A “violent struggle” ensued, and the attack ended only when another teacher intervened and disarmed him. Williams suffered a wound to her scalp, scratches on her back and minor cuts to her hands. She said she believed she was dying.
“A 16-year-old pupil found not guilty of attempted murder but guilty of wounding with intent for stabbing teacher in head with kitchen knife.”
CCTV showed the boy leaving the school and going to his grandmother’s home, where he told her: “Something went in my head, nan.” In his defence, the boy claimed Williams had tried to grab the knife from his rucksack and that he had “accidentally assaulted her” in the struggle. Matthew Roberts KC, for the defence, suggested the pupil had taken the knife to school to “show off” and that there was “no evidence of any animosity” between him and Williams. The prosecution, led by Christopher Rees KC, argued the boy knew the truth but lacked “the courage or the remorse to tell anyone”. The teenager had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a kitchen knife on school grounds. He was found guilty of wounding with intent and unlawful wounding.
In a separate case, a manhunt is under way after a 28-year-old father was shot dead in Bradford. Mohammed Hasan suffered a gunshot wound to the head on Gaythorne Road just before 11pm on July 8 and died of his injuries on Sunday. His family described him as a “loving husband, father, son and brother” who “would go out of his way to help other people”. Police are searching for 24-year-old Luqman Khan from Bradford, who is believed to have travelled to Suffolk and may be in the Ipswich or Felixstowe areas. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the investigation – four on suspicion of attempted murder and five on suspicion of assisting an offender. Eight have been released on conditional bail, while Hasnain Akhter, 21, of Tichborne Road, has been charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody. Detective Chief Inspector Dan Bates said: “We are determined to get justice for him and his family and need people to put aside any misplaced loyalties.” Anyone with information is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting reference 13260388729, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.