A teenage boy on trial for attempting to murder a teacher at Milford Haven School has denied stabbing her and claimed she was lying about what happened in the classroom. The defendant, who was 15 at the time of the incident and cannot be named for legal reasons, returned to the witness box at Swansea Crown Court for a second day of cross-examination.
Prosecution Alleges Planned Attack
History teacher Vicki Williams sustained injuries to her head, hands, and back during the incident in February this year. The prosecution, led by Christopher Rees KC, argues that the defendant carried out a planned 'murderous attack' with a knife he had taken to school specifically for that purpose. The defendant denies attempted murder, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and unlawful wounding, but has admitted possessing a knife on school premises.
Defence Claims Accidental Injury
The defence contends that the teenager brought the knife to school to 'show off' to his friends, and that the teacher was injured accidentally when he refused to hand over the weapon. In his testimony, 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 told the jury that when he went to Mrs Williams' classroom with a query at the end of the school day, the teacher saw an object in his bag and asked about it, prompting him to produce the knife.
Cross-Examination Highlights
During cross-examination, the defendant stated that Mrs Williams grabbed the blade of the knife, leading to a 'struggle' lasting around 10 seconds before she screamed and he let go and ran from the classroom. When asked by the prosecution barrister if he had deliberately stabbed Mrs Williams in the head, the defendant replied 'No.' The barrister then asked if Mrs Williams was telling the truth or lying when she said he stabbed her in the head; the defendant answered 'Lying.'
The barrister further suggested that the defendant had taken the knife to school intending to kill Mrs Williams, which the defendant denied. When the barrister said, 'It was because she fought back that she is here today,' the defendant replied 'No.' The barrister added, 'She fought for her life,' and the defendant responded, 'Not for her life, no.'
Judge Questions Defendant
Judge Paul Thomas KC asked the defendant why he did not simply hand over the knife instead of struggling with the teacher. The defendant responded that he 'didn't want to get into trouble.' The prosecution barrister also questioned why the defendant answered 'no comment' to all questions during his police interview, suggesting it was because he had not yet devised a story to explain his actions. The defendant rejected this, claiming he could not remember what had happened at the time.
The jury has previously heard from Mrs Williams, who described the defendant having a look of 'pure hatred' in his eyes and said she thought she was going to die at his hands. The trial resumes on Friday.
