Boy accused of attempting to murder Milford Haven teacher says he ‘never wanted to injure’ her

A TEENAGE boy accused of attempting to murder his teacher with a kitchen knife has told a jury he took the blade to school to “show off” to his friends, but never intended to use it violently.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was giving evidence at Swansea Crown Court on Monday afternoon (Jul 13).

He is accused of attacking history teacher Vicki Williams inside a classroom at Milford Haven School on Thursday, February 5.

The boy, who was 15 at the time, denies attempted murder, wounding with intent and unlawful wounding. He has admitted possessing a knife on school premises.

The trial has heard that Mrs Williams suffered a stab wound to the top of her head, as well as injuries to her hands.

Giving evidence, the defendant described walking into Mrs Williams’ classroom after the end of the school day with a rucksack on his arm. Inside the bag was a large kitchen knife, which he said he had taken from his parents’ kitchen.

He told the jury he had gone into the room to ask Mrs Williams to check his history work.

CCTV footage played to the court showed the defendant standing outside the classroom at around 3:13pm.

“I knew she wasn’t in there because the light was off and from where I was standing you could see her at her desk,” he told the court.

The footage showed him leaving the area before returning minutes later.

“The door was now open and when I went in, Miss Williams was sitting down at her desk looking at her laptop,” he said.

“I didn’t say anything but walked in and closed the door, and walked up to her desk. My rucksack was on my left arm.

“When I got to her desk I got my history book out and the first thing I said to her was, ‘Can you check my work, please?’”

The defendant claimed Mrs Williams then saw the knife in the same inner compartment of his bag as his history book.

“She asked me what it was and I didn’t say anything back,” he said.

“She asked me to take it out, and I took the knife out by the handle, with my right hand. I held it, still facing downwards and Miss Williams looked shocked. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide.”

The boy said Mrs Williams then asked him to hand over the knife.

“She said, ‘Give it here’, and I said, ‘No’,” he told the jury.

“I didn’t want to get in trouble by having a knife in school.

“She then tried to grab the knife off me with both hands, and her hands made contact with the blade.

“The knife was going everywhere as I tried to get it off her.”

The defendant denied deliberately stabbing Mrs Williams in the head.

He told the court he did not see the knife make contact with her head, although he accepted that it must have done so because of her injuries.

“We were struggling for ten seconds and then she started screaming,” he said.

“This was when the whole situation got too much for me so I let go of the knife and ran out.”

Asked whether he had planned to attack Mrs Williams, the defendant said he had “never wanted to injure Miss Williams”.

He told the jury he had chosen GCSE history because it interested him, and denied having any ill feeling towards his teacher.

He also denied being argumentative towards her, falling out with her, or deliberately using the knife on her.

Earlier in his evidence, the defendant said he had taken the knife into school as part of what he described as a game among friends.

“Me and my friends used to bring in random stuff like tools, household items, all of that kind of stuff, to see what we could get away with bringing into school,” he said.

“I got the knife from my kitchen and it was the largest one in the knife block. I took it because it would have been the most impressive one to show my friends.

“I didn’t want the teachers to find it and I didn’t want to use it in a violent way.”

But when questioned by the Crown, the defendant accepted that none of his friends were shown the knife on February 5.

“Not all of my friends were in school that day and I wanted to show it to the whole group during break or lunch, rather than individually,” he said.

The court was also shown CCTV footage of the defendant in a school corridor two days before the alleged attack.

The footage showed him loitering and waving his arms towards a classroom.

“I should have been in lessons but I was waving at my friend to come home with me and skip lessons,” he told the court.

Further footage showed the defendant smiling with friends after one of them donkey-kicked a classroom door, causing it to shatter.

“We found it funny that he’d smashed the door,” the defendant said.

The jury also heard that the defendant and his friends had previously removed tools from the school’s technology department and taken them home.

These included a power drill and a spanner.

“It was a game we were doing, to see how many tools we could steal from a class before the teacher realised,” he said.

Earlier in the trial, Mrs Williams told the jury that the defendant had followed her into the classroom after asking for help with his history work.

She said he then “lunged” at her with a knife and stabbed her in the head.

The prosecution alleges that the attack was deliberate and planned.

The defence says the injuries were caused accidentally during a struggle after the boy refused to hand over the knife.

The trial continues tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14.

A GROUP of four youths are believed to have been involved in a series of incidents in Milford Haven late on Sunday night, culminating in a reported break-in at the Lord Nelson Hotel.

At approximately 11.50pm, four young males walked into The Pembrokeshire Herald building on Victoria Road directly from the street.

They spoke briefly with editor Tom Sinclair and asked him for £10. When he refused, the group left the premises without further incident.

The youths are then believed to have gone to a nearby flat, where resident Ri Marr said they climbed scaffolding beside her home, banged on her windows and attempted to open her door.

Ms Marr, who lives alone, said she was terrified because she did not initially know who was outside.

She said police attended quickly and took a statement.

It is understood that two members of the group later entered the nearby Lord Nelson Hotel, where a substantial amount of stock was allegedly stolen from the bar.

Hotel manager James Findlay has released CCTV images showing two young males in the rear service area of the premises and appealed for help identifying them.

He said those responsible had an opportunity to return the stolen stock, adding that the hotel would otherwise fully support any police investigation using CCTV, fingerprints or other evidence.

The incidents all took place within a short distance of each other and over a relatively brief period.

The Herald understands that four youths were present during the earlier incidents, although only two are alleged to have entered the Lord Nelson.

Anyone who recognises those shown in the CCTV images, or who has information about the movements of the group, is asked to contact Dyfed-Powys Police.

The Herald has approached the force for confirmation of the reported incidents and details of any investigation.

A JOINT policing operation aimed at tackling antisocial behaviour in Tenby and across Pembrokeshire will return during the busy summer holiday period.

Operation Lion brings together Transport for Wales, Dyfed-Powys Police and British Transport Police to provide an increased visible presence in the area as visitor numbers rise.

The annual operation, first launched in 2015, will run throughout the six-week school summer holidays, with dedicated patrols every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

British Transport Police officers will patrol Tenby and the surrounding area, working alongside Dyfed-Powys Police to respond to incidents and reassure residents, businesses and visitors.

Transport for Wales security teams will also patrol train services between Tenby and Pembroke Dock, while additional cover will be provided on the final service to Carmarthen.

The operation aims to reduce antisocial behaviour, public disorder and vandalism, while improving public safety through a visible police and security presence.

Organisers say the initiative has helped reduce summer incidents in previous years and has received positive feedback from businesses and communities in Tenby.

Transport for Wales security manager Simon Turton said: “We’re proud to once again support Operation Lion alongside our colleagues from British Transport Police and Dyfed-Powys Police.

“This initiative is a great example of partnership working in action. Through a proactive, community-focused approach, we have helped reduce antisocial behaviour in Tenby and across Pembrokeshire over the years, and we are committed to building on that success again this summer.

“Our aim is simple: to ensure that residents and visitors can enjoy everything these fantastic areas have to offer in a safe and welcoming environment.”