Crime

Teacher feared for life during Ammanford school stabbing

Published

1 year ago

January 29, 2025

A TEACHER injured by a knife-wielding pupil during a stabbing at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford thought, “Oh God, this could be it,” as she struggled to restrain the attacker, a court has heard.

Two teachers and a Year 10 pupil were injured in the incident, which took place on April 24, 2024.

A 14-year-old girl has admitted three counts of wounding with intent and possessing a bladed article on school premises but denies three counts of attempted murder.

Giving video evidence at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (Jan 28), teacher Fiona Elias described the moment she confronted the teenage attacker.

Ms Elias said she had told the defendant she could not remain in a lower school hall on the day of the attack. She recalled how the pupil had “menacingly” stared at her while playing with an object in her pocket.

“I asked her to stop staring at me and what was in her pocket,” Ms Elias said in her police interview.

“She said, ‘Do you want to see what’s in my pocket?’ She pulled out a knife and said, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ then started stabbing me.”

‘She had completely lost it’

The jury heard Ms Elias suffered injuries to her shoulder, bicep, and hand.

“I tried to restrain her. I remember holding her arms, and she was pulling away. She had completely lost it, and the red mist had come down,” she said.

“She was trying to stab me in all sorts of places, and she got me in four places. I did not pass out or anything—I just remember thinking, ‘Oh God, this could be it.’”

She described the knife as a pen knife with a silver blade.

Ms Elias and fellow teacher Liz Hopkin shouted for help as they grappled with the attacker.

Ms Hopkin was stabbed in the neck. In her recorded evidence played to the court, she recalled: “She came towards me face on and stabbed me in the neck. I thought, ‘S**t, this is it.’

“I was just shouting, ‘Help, get help.’ I thought, ‘If I let go, people are going to get hurt.’”

Ms Hopkin was airlifted from the school for treatment, while Ms Elias was taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.

***The case is being heard at Swansea Crown Court (Image: Herald)***

‘One way to be a celebrity’

Earlier, the court heard how the defendant had stabbed a fellow pupil multiple times before being disarmed by male members of staff.

During the prosecution’s opening remarks, the jury was told the teenage girl made a chilling comment to Dyfed-Powys Police officers as she was escorted from the school.

“I’m pretty sure this is going to be on the news, so more eyes are going to be looking at me—that’s one way to be a celebrity,” she reportedly said.

The 14-year-old girl denies three counts of attempted murder.

The case continues.

Crime

Local carpenter retains driving licence despite previous ban

Published

4 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A Herbrandston carpenter has been allowed to keep his driving licence despite a previous driving disqualification for using his mobile phone whilst driving.

Addressing District Judge Mark Layton at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court this week, Simon Shaw stressed the disqualification was having a major impact on his work commitment as well as his ability to support members of his family.

“If the ban continues, at least two of my five employees will have to be lost” said Shaw, who works as a self-employed carpenter operating from Herbrandston and the Milford Haven Industrial Estate.

“We travel throughout the whole of West Wales and also work at Thorne Island, where we’ve been providing logistical support for renovations for the last four years.”

Shaw, of Triplestone Close, Herbrandston, went on to say that his business has only one other driver who works as a reserve fire fighter.

“As a result, he’s not available to provide the 24 hour cover we provide to various care homes in the county,” he said.

Simon Shaw concluded by stating that his daughter is also dependent on his support having recently given birth to twins while his son-in-law and his partner’s mother are both currently undergoing serious healthcare treatments.

“I’m trying to provide as much logistical support for them as I can, but without my driving licence, this is impossible,” he said.

After listening to his comments, Judge Layton granted Shaw permission to retain his licence.

Crime

Delivery driver caught twice over legal drink-drive limit

Published

4 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A delivery driver has been banned from the roads after being caught behind the wheel when he was over twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Twenty-nine year old Sam Rowe was stopped by officers just before 9.30 am on April 20 as he drove his Vauxhall Vivaro along Ferry Lane in Pembroke Dock.

“His speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot,” Crown Prosecutor Linda Baker told Haverfordwest Magistrates Court this week.

“There was also a strong smell of intoxicants emanating from him.”

When spoken to by the officers, Rowe stated he’d drunk a pint of alcohol approximately an hour before being stopped, however subsequent breathalyser tests showed he had no less than 75 mcg of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.

Rowe, of Hazel Close, Pontypool, pleaded guilty to the offence and was represented in court by solicitor Michael Kelleher who informed the court that the defendant was holidaying in Pembrokeshire at the time of the offence.

“His daughter fell ill and he was attempting to find painkillers for her at a supermarket,” he said. “He’s very remorseful and is now going to lose his job as a delivery driver.”

Rowe, who has no previous convictions, was disqualified from driving for a total of 20 months. He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £48 surcharge.

Crime

Police tip-off leads to driving ban for Milford motorist

Published

4 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A Pembrokeshire motorist has lost his licence after police received information that the 40-year-old male may have been driving under the influence of drugs.

This week Haverfordwest Magistrates court was told that at around 8.30pm on November 22 officers received a call informing them that Michael Miles was suspected of driving his Peugeot Bipper through Milford Haven after consuming drugs.

Miles was subsequently stopped on Marble Hall Road and when spoken to by the officers, he informed them that he was a drug user. A saliva sample tested positive for cocaine while further tests carried out at the police station showed that Miles had 760 mcg of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine in his system, the legal limit being 50.

Miles, of Milford Road, Steynton, chose to be legally unrepresented in court and pleaded guilty to the drug-driving charge.

The probation service said he was very remorseful for the offence and has since had appointments with the Dyfed Drugs and Alcohol Service to help him deal with his drug usage. Miles was served with an interim driving disqualification however as a result of his previous non-payment of fines, his punitive sentencing was adjourned to Thursday, May 7.

“If you pay your outstanding fines before Thursday, you will be fined for this offence,” warned District Judge Mark Layton. “But if you don’t pay, you will be given a custodial sentence.”