Carmarthenshire: Teachers injured in school stabbing incident 'cannot comprehend' what happened

April 26, 2024

Two teachers who were injured in an alleged knife attack at their school have spoken of how difficult it has been to "comprehend" what happened.

Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin thanked well-wishers after they were stabbed at Amman Valley School in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on Wednesday.

They were allegedly attacked by a 13-year-old student during the incident, in which another pupil was also injured.

Ms Elias said: "This incident has had an enormous impact on my colleagues and the wonderful pupils we have at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.

"I cannot comprehend what staff and pupils experienced on Wednesday."

She added that she was "deeply indebted" to emergency services and NHS staff, and thanked her colleagues for prioritising the safety of pupils.

The assistant headteacher described it as a "difficult time" for the school and wider community.

Ms Hopkin, who is an additional learning needs co-ordinator, said: "Ysgol Dyffryn Aman is a big part of my life, and it is hard to comprehend that this has happened."

She added: "I have been overwhelmed by the kindness from the close community that we have here.

"I believe what we need now is time to reflect on what has happened and therefore ask for privacy for the school, myself and my family, so we can take this time to reflect and recover."

The teenage girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was remanded to youth detention accommodation after she appeared in court on Friday.

She will next appear at Swansea Crown Court on 24 May.

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Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy who was later arrested on Wednesday after police received reports about messages on social media allegedly referring to the stabbings, has been released on bail.

Police executed a warrant at the boy's home, in the nearby Cross Hands area, and recovered a BB gun.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the boy had been conditionally released, but banned from entering certain schools and colleges, or the Amman and Gwendraeth Valley areas.

Bail restrictions also included a curfew, and prevented him having unsupervised access to social media.

"The investigation into the allegations continues, and Dyfed-Powys Police is now appealing for anyone with information that could assist them, including screenshots from social media," a police spokesman added.

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