Ammanford school stabbing leaves community 'scared'

At 11:20am, a huge emergency response was activated at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman where a teenage girl was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after stabbing two teachers and a fellow pupil.

She appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court this morning (Friday, April 26) where she was remanded into custody ahead of another appearance at Swansea Crown Court tomorrow.

The victims were airlifted to hospital via Welsh Air Ambulance with stab wounds, but they did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.

Teacher Darrel Campbell has been hailed a hero due to entering the fray, disarming the alleged attacker and putting her in an arm lock before the emergency services arrived.

Mary Thomas has lived in Ammanford for 20 years and believes the attack was a 'cry for help.' (Image: Newsquest)Speaking of the incident, Mary Thomas said: “I’ve lived in Ammanford for 20 years. It’s really sad because the person involved was very young.

“That school is considered extremely safe and associated with discipline. The teachers were wonderful because no one prepared for that to happen.”

Malcolm Palmer added: “It’s unbelievable it should happen in Ammanford. You expect it in big cities, but you don’t think it will ever happen in a small town.

“This country does have a terrible reputation for teenage stabbings. Covid might have had a negative effect on young girls.”

Tom Jones echoed: “It’s a shock. I recently moved here. I’ve got a two-year-old and a four-year-old who are both in school, so it’s concerning in that sense.”

Jana Marjana agreed: “Very shocked. Everybody is scared. My family lives in London and they called me asking if my sister was ok.”

Tesco garage employee Shelley Ware said: “I was born in Ammanford. You would never think anything like this would happen. It’s amazing that only a few people got injured and not killed. It’s out of character for this town. It’s sad for the girl involved and the people who got injured.”

Sue Carter (right) was surprised the stabbing happened in a small town like Ammanford. (Image: Newsquest)Sue Carter said: “It’s a small community you don’t expect it. You expect it in bigger cities. My son goes to a daycare centre nearby. You send your kids to school and you think they’re safe but they’re not. It's got to be worrying for parents but equally worrying for kids.”

Meanwhile, sixth former Kyle Edwards was at the school when the stabbing occurred.

He said: “We were locked down in a room for four or five hours. I wasn’t really expecting it.”

The stabbing resulted in a school lockdown which lasted for around four hours between 11.20am and 3.20pm as parents waited patiently at the gates.

Following the traumatic incident, the Jac Lewis Foundation is offering counselling sessions to anyone who has been affected by the stabbing.

Counselling sub contactor, Beth Balch said: “The Jac Lewis Foundation is offering well-being and support the next few days for parents and pupils. They can get immediate counselling. Anyone who is struggling can refer in via the web page. All they have to do is refer to the school incident.”