teenage girl accused of school stabbing in attempted murder case
Pupils at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Carmarthenshire were told to stay in the classroom for several hours after the incident as the school was placed in lockdown.
A teenage girl has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at a school in West Wales.
Police confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that three people were injured at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman school and are being treated for stab wounds.
Their injuries are not life-threatening, police have said.
Dyfed-Powys Police say the incident happened at about 11.20 on Wednesday morning.
The force confirmed the school was put into lockdown “for the safety of all on the premises”.
Pupils were released from the school at around 3.20 , with hundreds of parents gathered outside to collect them.
The teenage girl is currently in police custody and a knife has been recovered in evidence, police said in an update at the scene.
The comprehensive school in the town of Ammanford, in Carmarthenshire, has over 2,000 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.
The school had been in lockdown since about 11am, with pupils told to stay in their classrooms.
Hundreds of parents were assembled outside the school by 3pm, waiting to collect their children from the school.
Rachel Young, a parent at the school, toldnews that her daughter and other pupils had been “locked” in the classroom.
“She’s scared, obviously. She says she’s fine, but they all say ‘I’m fine’ but they’re obviously not going to be and what’s going to happen from now on, I don’t know. We don’t even know if the school’s going to be open,” she said.
“I wanted to get here. I called the school, and they said they’re not allowing anyone in or anyone out, but they couldn’t really comment any further than that.”
The school will be shut down tomorrow, April 25, to allow police to carry out their investigation further.
Headteacher James Durbridge said that the school would provide wellbeing support to all affected.
He described it as a “very difficult day” for the school and said that his thoughts were with the three people injured and their families.
A spokesperson for Ysgol Dyffryn Aman said the family members of the injured have been informed.
“We would like to reassure parents and the public that the incident has been contained,” they added.
Dyfed-Powys Police said it was aware that footage of the incident was “circulating on social media”.
“We would ask that this be removed to avoid contempt of court and distress to those affected,” a spokesperson said.
Police have also asked people not to speculate as the investigation is ongoing.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his “shock” at the news.
‘Close and welcoming community’
In the Senedd, Lee Waters, a former pupil of the school who represents Llanelli, asked an emergency question on the incident.
“Ammanford is a close and welcoming community,” he said.
“I think the fact now that this is happening in the social media age adds further distress to it.”
Lynne Neagle, Wales’s education secretary, told Senedd members it was “very important” to let the police undertake their investigation.
“They were very clear with myself and the First Minister earlier that lots of speculation is not helpful,” she said.
“We need to let them do their job at the same time as making sure that we support the school and the community through this very difficult period.”
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Superintendent Ross Evans, Carmarthenshire Commander, said police were working with the school and other agencies to ensure “appropriate support is available to all involved”.
“This was a very distressing incident and our thoughts are with the victims, their families and everyone impacted by what has happened,” he added.
“Local people will see more police in the area over the coming days as the investigation continues.”
‘Shocking incident’
Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council, Darren Price, praised the teachers, staff, and pupils of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman “for the way they’ve responded to this shocking incident.”.
“As a council, our priority now is to do all that we can over the coming days and weeks to support the pupils and staff in the aftermath,” he said.
“Today’s events have come as a grave shock to the school community, to Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, and further afield.
“To support Dyfed-Powys Police, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman will be closed tomorrow (Thursday) to all pupils and staff in order for officers to further carry out their investigations.
“Although the school will be closed, I want to reassure pupils, parents, and staff that well-being support is available to anyone who has been affected. The school will continue its lessons online.”
Anyone with information that could help officers with their investigation is asked to contact Dyfed-Powys Police.