Norfolk school stabbing trial: defendant's mother testifies she got 'sorry' text

The mother of the 16-year-old on trial for stabbing a classmate at Thorpe St Andrew School told King's Lynn Crown Court she received an "I'm sorry" message from her son shortly after the attack.

Mother receives 'I'm sorry' text as stabbing unfolded at Norwich school

The mother of a 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing a fellow pupil at a Norfolk school testified at King's Lynn Crown Court on Monday that she received a message from her son reading "I'm sorry" shortly after the attack, bbc.co.uk reports.

Police were called to Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, at 10:24 GMT on 11 March, following reports that a 15-year-old girl had been stabbed in the back. The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies attempted murder but has admitted possessing a kitchen knife without lawful authority and wounding with intent. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

The mother told the jury she first learned something was wrong while "doom-scrolling" on social media. She messaged her son to check if he was safe but received no immediate reply. "When you realise there has been an incident at the school and you don't hear from children, it's worrying," she said.

Using a phone tracking app, she saw her son was no longer on school grounds at the same time social media posts were reporting a knife attack and that someone had fled the site. "When I saw he wasn't at school and someone had run away, I was concerned he was involved," she told the court.

She then received his "I'm sorry" message. When she called him and asked what had happened, he replied "nothing good" and said he had "hurt someone". She told the court he did not sound like himself, speaking in "very short sentences" and sounding "very upset".

The mother described the evening before the attack as "completely normal" and said her son left for school the following morning at his usual time. She told jurors he was "very quiet, very funny, very smart" and had a "dry sense of humour". Asked by prosecuting counsel Christopher Paxton KC whether she had any concerns about how her son was using his phone or whether she was checking it, she answered "no" to both questions.

After receiving the message, she and her husband went out to find him. Two police cars passed them with blue lights and sirens running. She called 999, gave officers her son's location via the tracking app, and was told to return home. "I was in complete shock," she said.

A teacher who witnessed the immediate aftermath also gave evidence on Monday. He told the court that another person approached him saying "she's been stabbed". When he went to the corridor, the only figure he could see was "dressed completely in black". He shouted at the boy to stop and ran after him for approximately 25 seconds, during which a black glove was dropped on the ground.

The court has previously heard that the defendant had written notes expressing hatred towards women. The victim told police she informed a teacher at the scene: "Sir, I've been stabbed."

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)