A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to an indefinite detention order after pleading guilty to a shocking knife attack at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, carried out the premeditated assault on the afternoon of 9 October 2023. He specifically targeted a female member of staff, inflicting a single stab wound to her lower back.
Chaos and Emergency Response
The attack sent the school into immediate lockdown, triggering a massive emergency service response. Armed police units, ambulances, and air support rushed to the scene as terrified pupils and staff barricaded themselves inside classrooms.
The victim, a woman in her 50s, was rushed to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. She has since been discharged and is recovering at home.
A Planned Assault
Gloucester Crown Court heard disturbing details of the attack's planning. Prosecutor Richard Posner stated the boy had deliberately sought out the victim and was captured on CCTV sharpening the knife's blade just moments before the assault.
In a victim impact statement, the injured staff member described the profound psychological trauma, saying the incident had "shattered her sense of safety" and left her struggling to return to normal life.
Sentencing and Future Risk
Judge Ian Lawrie KC described the teenager as a "very dangerous individual" who posed a significant risk to the public. The indefinite detention order means the teenager will only be released once the authorities deem him no longer a threat.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Howick of Gloucestershire Police emphasised the severity of the incident, noting it was every parent's worst nightmare and praising the swift actions of school staff and emergency services in containing the situation.
