Teenage girl sentenced for attempted murder at Carmarthenshire school

A 14-year-old girl has been jailed for the attempted murder of two teachers and a pupil at a school in Carmarthenshire.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of the three charges following a trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this year. She had previously admitted to three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and possession of a bladed article on a school premises.

Today, a year on from the incident, she was sentenced to 15 years in custody, and will serve a minimum of 7.5 years in detention, less the 367 days the girl has already been held on remand. She will be on license for the remainder of the sentence.

The court previously heard how emergency services were called to Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford on Wednesday, April 24, following reports that three people had been injured. Two teachers – Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin – along with a child, were admitted to hospital for treatment having been stabbed by a pupil.

CCTV cameras captured the defendant walking through the school that morning, before sitting beside a stage in the school hall and stabbing the floor with a knife. She was then seen speaking to Mrs Elias on two occasions – first inside the school building, and then outside – before attacking her with the knife. When Mrs Hopkin stepped in to help, she was also badly injured, sustaining deep cuts to her neck and back.

A few minutes later, after being moved away from the two teachers who needed urgent medical attention, the defendant was seen attacking a child with the same knife.

She was arrested at the scene, and was charged with three counts of attempted murder the next day.

Following today’s sentencing, Detective Chief Superintendent Ross Evans of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “While this sentence marks the end of the criminal justice proceedings, and a year since the incident occurred, I understand that for the victims the impact remains ongoing.

“All three suffered physical harm at the hands of the defendant and although wounds can heal with time, it will take considerably longer to recover from the mental trauma her actions caused.

“We have heard from the victim impact statements that they relive the events on April 24, 2024 daily, which evidences the profound impact it had on their wellbeing. As we now leave the legal proceedings behind us, I wish all the victims well in their recovery.

“For the students who unfortunately witnessed such an act of violence as they went about their day, I sincerely hope they are still able to view their school as a place of safety, and that today’s sentence shows that any attempt to compromise school safety will not be tolerated.

“Finally, I would like to thank all our emergency services colleagues who responded on the day, along with the teachers and staff at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman. Thanks also to Carmarthenshire County Council for the professional way in which they dealt with the incident and to the local community for the support they offered to pupils.”