A 14-year-old girl accused of attempting to murder two teachers and a fellow student at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford has appeared in court as her trial began today. The defendant, who cannot be named due to her age, has pleaded guilty to three charges of wounding with intent and possession of a knife on school premises but denies three counts of attempted murder.

The trial, held at Swansea Crown Court before Judge Paul Thomas KC, opened with Prosecutor William Hughes KC describing the incident on April 24 as a “serious episode of violence.” He detailed how the defendant approached teacher Fiona Elias in the school yard that morning, giving her what was described as a “sinister look” before producing a silver blade from the pocket of her cargo pants.

The court heard that during the morning break, the defendant attacked Mrs Elias with a multi-tool knife, reportedly shouting, “I am going to f kill you.” As Mrs Elias attempted to defend herself, fellow staff member Liz Hopkin intervened, grabbing the defendant from behind in an effort to restrain her. In the ensuing struggle, the defendant dropped the knife momentarily, but quickly retrieved it and continued the attack, stabbing Ms Hopkin multiple times.

After injuring the two teachers, the defendant moved towards a teenage student, calling out her name and shouting, “I am going to kill you.” The student was knocked to the ground and suffered stab wounds to her back and minor injuries to her legs. Other members of staff and students became aware of the commotion, and two male staff members – Darrell Campbell and Stephen Hagget – approached the defendant in an attempt to calm her. Witnesses described the defendant as having “a vacant look on her face” throughout the incident.

The prosecution outlined that the defendant had a history of bringing a knife to school. Earlier in the academic year, Mrs Elias had discovered a small kitchen knife in the defendant’s bag, which led to a school policy requiring the defendant to undergo daily bag checks. However, on the day of the attack, the defendant left home before her father could conduct the usual check, taking the fishing multi-tool without his knowledge.

Mrs Elias suffered stab wounds to her arms and thumb. Ms Hopkin sustained the most serious injuries, including wounds to her leg, the rear of her left chest, and a stab wound at the top of her neck into the trapezius muscle. The teenage victim received wounds to her back and legs. Emergency services arrived at the school shortly after the attack, and Mrs Elias and the student were taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea. Ms Hopkin was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. All three victims were discharged from hospital the following day.

Following the defendant’s arrest, police conducted a search of her home. Among the items found was a school planner with the phrase “death before dishonour” and other writings, including the phrase “cutting mouths and eyes to death.” Mr Hughes told the jury that these items suggested the defendant’s intention on the day of the attack.

During her arrest, the defendant made several comments, which the prosecution argues are significant in understanding her mindset. In the back of the police vehicle, she reportedly asked, “Are they dead?” and stated, “I am pretty sure this is going to be on the news… more eyes will be on me… that’s one way of being a celebrity.” She also queried how she would face her family after what had happened. However, when interviewed by the police in the presence of her father, she exercised her right to respond with “no comment” to all questions.

The jury was shown CCTV footage from the school depicting the attack, along with mobile phone footage shot by students and footage from police body-worn cameras. These videos provided the court with a detailed visual account of the incident. The judge instructed the jury that special screens would be installed to allow them to view the footage up close as part of the evidence.

Prosecution emphasises intent

Prosecutor Mr Hughes KC explained that while the defendant does not dispute stabbing the three victims or bringing the multi-tool to school, the issue the jury must consider is whether she had the intent to kill. The jury was informed they would need to evaluate each case individually to decide if the defendant intended to commit murder.

It was revealed in court that the defendant had previously been caught with a small kitchen knife at school, resulting in her parents agreeing to subject her to daily bag searches. On the day of the incident, she had left home early, avoiding these checks. The court also heard that the defendant had made concerning drawings and notes, including references to violence against others.

After the prosecution outlined the case, proceedings for the day concluded. The trial will not sit on Tuesday, with hearings scheduled to resume on Wednesday when the jury will hear further evidence.

The 14-year-old defendant was arrested at the scene following the attack. Emergency services quickly arrived at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, placing the school on lockdown. Both Mrs Elias and Ms Hopkin have since expressed gratitude for the support they received from the school community. The trial, expected to last two weeks, will continue to explore whether the defendant intended to kill her victims, as charged.

KLM’s winter schedule for this season runs from October 27, 2024, to March 30, 2025. KLM’s network includes 155 destinations, 89 in Europe and 66 intercontinental via its hub in

New to the network is the previously announced American destination, Portland. Additionally, KLM offers 15% more seats to destinations in India compared to last year. The first new A321neo aircraft are also operational on European destinations such as Copenhagen, Berlin, and Stockholm. Furthermore, Premium Comfort is available to book on all Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.

Spencer Birns, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said: “Cardiff Wales Airport is delighted with the news from KLM. This additional global connectivity is an excellent boost for Welsh tourism and is instrumental in helping to assist families, businesses and our world-famous educational centres of excellence in Wales to stay connected with their respective ties across the World. With flights operating for over 35 years from Cardiff Wales Airport, it is a great success story and we look forward to many more years of partnerships with KLM.”

This winter, the Premium Comfort class can be booked on all Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft. This newest class offers passengers comfortable seats with extra legroom and a unique catering concept. KLM will add three new A321neo aircraft this year and will also fly these to Paris, Prague, and Vienna. KLM expects to put a total of four of these aircraft into service this year.

On several European destinations, KLM will fly more frequently this winter. From October 28, there will be six flights per day to Billund and two flights per day to Belfast. Additionally, KLM will fly three times a day to Bilbao and four times a week to Malaga and Alicante. Capacity to Bremen will be increased to four flights per day. KLM will also fly three times a week to Rovaniemi (Finland), up from twice a week last winter.

This winter, KLM will fly to nineteen destinations in North America (Canada, USA, Mexico). In the USA, KLM will fly to Portland three times a week this winter, a new destination taken over from Delta Air Lines. Additionally, KLM will fly five times a week to San Francisco, increasing to a daily flight midway through the winter season. Furthermore, KLM will fly four to five times a week to Edmonton in Canada.

KLM will fly daily to Paramaribo this winter, which is one extra flight per week. Sint Maarten will be combined with Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), with frequency increased to five times a week. During the Christmas and spring periods, the number of flights to and from Curaçao will increase.

KLM will fly daily to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Panama. Buenos Aires will be combined with Santiago de Chile, as it was last year. San José will be serviced four times a week, combined with Liberia (Costa Rica) after the runway maintenance is completed. Additionally, there will be six flights per week to Lima and the combination of Quito and Guayaquil.

KLM will fly seven times a week to Lagos this winter. Additionally, KLM will fly daily to two destinations in South Africa: Johannesburg and Cape Town. Capacity to Cape Town will be increased from the Christmas period to the end of the winter season with two extra flights per week on Tuesdays and Sundays. There will also be daily flights to Nairobi and Accra. This winter, passengers have the option to fly to three destinations in Tanzania: a daily flight to Dar es Salaam combined five times a week with Kilimanjaro and twice a week with Zanzibar. Furthermore, Kigali in Rwanda and Entebbe in Uganda will be serviced five times a week this winter.

Capacity to Asia has not yet fully recovered from the COVID pandemic, and due to rerouting around Russia, flights take longer than usual. This winter, the same schedule as last winter will be flown. KLM will fly daily to Shanghai and Beijing and four times a week to Hong Kong. KLM will also fly daily to Tokyo Narita and three times a week to Osaka. Seoul in South Korea will be serviced five times a week. Passengers can fly daily to Bali with a stopover in Singapore. Additionally, KLM will fly six times a week to Jakarta with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. Bangkok is reachable every day with a daily flight. In India, Delhi and Mumbai will be serviced daily, and there will be a flight to Bengaluru five times a week.

KLM will fly daily to Dubai this winter. The route to Riyadh and Dammam will also be flown six times a week.

LUCIANA CIUBOTARIU, former Head of Trade and Investment for Thames Freeport and now CEO of Celtic Freeport, has enthusiastically accepted the role of Patron for the SPARC Alliance. Luciana is deeply committed to empowering young females, particularly in underrepresented sectors, and looks forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure the continued success of this initiative.

The Celtic Freeport is at the heart of the green economy in south west Wales and will accelerate innovation and investment, especially in port infrastructure and sustainable energies.

The SPARC Alliance, established last July by Pembrokeshire College and Pembrokeshire County Council, with substantial support from RWE, Blue Gem Wind, Floventis (Cierco Energy), Ledwood Engineering, Port of Milford Haven, and the Swansea Bay City Deal Skills and Talent Fund, aims to engage young females in STEM careers.

A key priority for the Freeport is advancing the skills agenda to prepare the region for growth, this includes addressing gender disparities in engineering and construction sectors. SPARC is set to play a pivotal role creating an equitable talent pipeline that meets industry demands over the next 10 years.

Co-leads, Hayley Williams (Pembrokeshire College) and Rob Hillier (Pembrokeshire County Council) jointly commented, “We are thrilled to have Luciana as the face of the SPARC Alliance. Not only is she an inspiring role model for young women, but her expertise will also be invaluable in guiding SPARC’s development. With an imminent increase in high-value jobs, Luciana’s support will inspire the next generation of female talent to contribute to and thrive within our region,”