Teachers thought they would die in school knife attack

A 14-year-old girl is on trial accused of the attempted murder of two teachers and a teenage pupil during the morning break at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman on April 24.

She denies charges of attempted murder, but admitted three offences of wounding with intent and having a knife on a school grounds.

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The jury was shown videos of the evidence given by Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin, the two teachers who were injured by the pupil – who cannot be identified due to her age.

"There was something really sinister in her eyes," Mrs Elias said, recalling when she asked the defendant to leave the school’s lower hall as she didn’t have permission to be there.

She added that the defendant was "playing with something in her right pocket", but she walked away as she "didn't want that confrontation".

Mrs Elias was talking to Ms Hopkin outside, when the defendant came towards her again. She told the defendant: "Can you stop looking at me in that way?", before asking what was in her pocket.

The defendant said: ‘Do you want to see what's in my pocket?’ and brought the knife out before attacking Mrs Elias - shouting "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to f****** kill you" as she did so.

Multiple police vehicles outside the school following the incident. (Image: Supplied)

"When I saw the knife and when she started stabbing me I thought I was going to die. I thought that was it.

"Her arms were everywhere. She was trying to stab me wherever she could get to.

"I remember holding her arms. She was pulling away. Her face - she lost it. It was like the red mist had come down.

"I did feel something going in to me but there wasn't a pain at the time.”

Ms Hopkin said the defendant was “presenting really strangely” as she approached Mrs Elias outside. 

"She wasn't blinking,” she said. "She just stared at her.

"I wasn't quick enough to stop her stabbing her.

"You could see it was [Mrs Elias] she was after. She wanted to hurt her. I said: 'Fiona, go, go'."

• READ MORE: Girl accused of stabbing teachers had taken knife in to school before.

Ms Hopkin described the defendant stabbing her in the neck.

"I thought that was the end for me,” she said. “I felt she's going to kill me. She's going to kill me and that's going to be it.

"She went for my neck and there wasn't anything I could do to stop her really."

Describing how the defendant was looking at her, Mrs Elias said: "Very distant. Very menacing. Just looking at me as if she was going to do something to me. In a way looking right through me.

"It made me feel uncomfortable."

Police officers patrolling the grounds of the school. (Image: Supplied)

Stephen Hagget, an assistant headteacher, arrived at the scene after Mrs Elias and Ms Hopkin had got to safety.

"As I approached her I saw she was holding a knife in her right hand," he said.

Mr Hagget said he said to the defendant to "calm down" and to "pass [him] the knife". 

"She was staring straight ahead of her."

When asked whether the defendant said anything, Mr Hagget told the jury she said: 'I'm going to f****** kill her, Mrs Elias'.

• READ MORE: Girl on trial accused of attempted murder in Ammanford school stabbings - Day 1.

He said that he and his colleague, Darrell Campbell, attempted to surround the defendant.

"Mr Campbell said to [the defendant] something along the lines of 'Come now, give me the knife' and put out his hand. [The defendant] pointed the knife towards Mr Campbell," he said.

"She then ran towards the admin block," he said. "She ran towards a pupil. 

"She pushed past us. Not physical contact but ran past us.

"She made a couple of attempts to stab [the pupil]. One was successful in stabbing [the pupil] in the shoulder."

Police and forensic investigators at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman. (Image: PA)

Describing the defendant as he arrived on the scene, Mr Campbell said: "She looked angry. She was staring blankly. She was very rigid, very stiff.”

He said that she turned towards a group of pupils and "let out a horrific scream - 'I'm going to f****** kill you, you b****'.”

"The scream was like something out of a horror movie,” he said.

"She ran towards them and started striking [the pupil] with her right hand coming down at her head and shoulder.

"I was right behind her but she managed to get some blows in before I grabbed her arm.

"I caught her hand - her wrist - on the third blow."

Mr Campbell restrained the girl whilst the victim was taken away, and the knife was taken from her.

Darrell Campbell restrained the teenage girl after two teachers and a pupil had been stabbed. (Image: South Wales Guardian)

"I went to assist [the pupil]. I'm a qualified first aider so that was my first instinct," said Mr Hagget. He said the pupil sustained a puncture wound to her shoulder, and he led her away to receive treatment.

Defence counsel Caroline Rees KC asked Mr Campbell if the atmosphere amongst the gathered crowds was “heated”.

"At that time, no," Mr Campbell said, adding that it was "deadly quiet".

Ms Rees suggested to the witness that the defendant had actually called the pupil's name and said "You're next". 

"No, I'm adamant she said 'I'm going to f****** kill you, you b****'," Mr Campbell said.

Ms Rees repeated her suggestion about what the defendant could have said when cross-examining the teenage victim and a male pupil. Both disagreed with her suggestion.

The trial continues.