Girl 'took knife to school every day' before stabbing

A teenager who stabbed two teachers and a pupil took a knife to school every day, a jury has heard.

Fiona Elias, Liz Hopkin and a pupil were injured in the attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on 24 April last year.

The 14-year-old, who cannot be named due to her age, previously admitted the triple stabbing but denies three counts of attempted murder.

On the fifth day of the trial, the girl said she would bring "weapons" to school as an "instinct thing", but never intended to hurt anyone.

Giving evidence at Swansea Crown Court on Friday, the teenager told the jury she was bullied and would often self-harm: "[I was] quite anxious, scared, all the time. During school, after school, 24/7."

After a knife was found in her school bag in September 2023, the defendant told the jury her father would check her school bag every day, and so she would put a knife "in [her] pocket instead".

She told the jury she did not like Ms Elias, and said she was "rude" towards her teacher, but never intended to harm her.

The girl accepted she drew an image headed "Mrs Frogface Elias", but said it was "just taking the mick".

She said she "couldn't remember" telling a pupil she wanted to stab Ms Elias a week before the attack.

"I used to say stuff like 'I hate her', and never that I wanted her dead," she added.

The girl said she did not know Ms Hopkin before the stabbing, adding she did not have any intention to hurt her or deliberately target Ms Hopkin's neck during the attack.

The teenager said she did not get on with the pupil she stabbed, but also had no intent to hurt her.

The defendant replied "I can't remember" to most of defence barrister Caroline Rees KC's questions about the day of the attack.

When the defence barrister asked her about how she felt about harming the three, she said: "It just doesn't sound like me.

"It's kind of hard to forget, but also hard to remember, I suppose I'm sorry."

When referring to her attack on the pupil, the defendant said: "I remember being pulled back into a corner and her calling me a 'psychopath'.

"I said 'It's your fault', very, very quietly. I remember being very exhausted."

The teenager said her "heart felt like it was burning," when she saw one of the three being taken away on a stretcher.

The teenager was then asked by the defence barrister about comments she made following the attack in a police van, including the word "oopsies" and asking "are they dead?".

"I don't remember much of that conversation," she replied.

She said she felt regret at the way she behaved that day: "It was really out of character."

The trial continues.