A 16-year-old boy accused of trying to murder a history teacher at Milford Haven School in Pembrokeshire has told a jury he took a kitchen knife to school to 'show off' to his friends. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies attempted murder, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and unlawful wounding, but admits possessing a knife on school premises.
Defendant's account of the incident
Giving evidence at Swansea Crown Court on Monday, the defendant said he and his friends had previously taken 'random stuff' such as tools or household items into school to 'see what we could get away with'. He claimed that on February 5 this year, he brought the knife to school with the intention of showing it off, not to harm anyone.
According to his testimony, at the end of the school day he went to Vicki Williams' classroom with a query. The teacher noticed an object in his bag and asked what it was. The defendant said he then produced the knife. Mrs Williams looked 'shocked' and told him to hand it over, but he refused because he 'didn't want to get into trouble'.
Struggle and injuries
The teenager told the jury that Mrs Williams grabbed the blade of the knife, leading to a 'struggle' lasting around 10 seconds. She then 'screamed', and he let go of the knife and ran from the classroom. He denied ever wanting the teacher to see the knife or injure her. Asked by his barrister, Matthew Roberts KC, if he had wanted to hurt Mrs Williams, the defendant said 'no'.
The jury has previously heard that Mrs Williams suffered injuries to her head, hands, and back during the incident. A teacher in the next room heard a 'gut-wrenching scream' and found her 'distraught' colleague holding a 'big, massive' knife that she had taken from the defendant.
Prosecution and defence cases
The prosecution alleges that the pupil, then aged 15, carried out a planned 'murderous attack' on the teacher. Mrs Williams earlier described her alleged assailant as having a look of 'pure hatred' in his eyes and said she thought she was going to die.
In contrast, the defence argues that the injuries were accidental, occurring when the pupil refused to hand over the knife as requested. The trial continues.
