A 15-year-old boy shut a history teacher inside her classroom before launching a knife attack on her, a court has heard. The teacher, Vicki Williams, said the boy's 'eyes were full of just pure rage' in a police interview recording played to the jury at Swansea Crown Court.
Attack in Classroom
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, previously pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder Vicki Williams at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in February this year. On Monday (July 6), the jury heard the pupil, now 16, is accused of stabbing Ms Williams in the head.
Christopher Rees KC, prosecuting, said the boy launched a 'sustained attack' on Ms Williams and would have continued had the teacher not disarmed him. 'He deliberately stabbed Vicki Williams to the head and continued the attack. The prosecution case is that he intended on killing Vicki Williams. He would've continued this murderous attack had Vicki Williams not grabbed the knife and fended him off,' Mr Rees told the jury.
Details of the Incident
The court heard the boy entered Ms Williams' classroom at around 3pm on February 5. He approached her desk and asked her to check some of his work. When he shut the door to the otherwise empty classroom, saying it was cold, 'alarm bells' began to ring in her head. The student then pulled a large kitchen knife from his bag and struck her in the head.
A 'violent struggle' ensued in which Ms Williams 'screamed blue murder' and eventually succeeded in taking the knife from him. The boy ran out of the school but was later arrested at the home of a family member. Ms Williams attended Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest and was found to have sustained a wound to her scalp, scratches on her back, and minor cuts to her hands.
Prosecution Case
Mr Rees said: 'The prosecution case is that the whole incident was planned by the pupil. He closed the door because he wanted to isolate Vicki Williams so that he could attack her.' Ms Williams later told police in an interview that he said nothing when he 'lunged at her'. In a recording played to the court, she said: 'What gets me is how cool and collected he was coming in. His eyes were psychotic, his eyes were full of just pure rage. He stabs me in the head, he's trying to kill me.' She added: 'I've never had a run in with him. I've never had a cross word with him… I've no idea where this has come from.'
Defence and Charges
The jury was told the boy had pleaded guilty to possessing a kitchen knife on the school grounds. Mr Rees said: 'The defence case is that he did not intend to kill or cause grievous bodily harm or even to assault Vicki Williams. His defence is these injuries were caused accidentally when, on the defence case, he refused to hand over the knife when asked to do so by Vicki Williams.'
The boy is charged with attempted murder, unlawful wounding, and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The trial at Swansea Crown Court continues.
