A 14-year-old student has been arrested six hours after a teacher was stabbed in the stomach, at Dixon Kings Academy, Bradford. The incident took place before many horrified pupils.
The science supply teacher, Vincent Uzomah (50), was stabbed with a kitchen knife by the pupil. Uzomah had only been teaching at the school for a few weeks. It is said that the teenager had smuggled a kitchen knife into school.
The teenager who had fled the scene was arrested in the Bradford city centre, on suspicion of attempting to murder the teacher.
It is said that the attack sparked due to a mobile phone. The Nigerian-born supply teacher had tried to confiscate the pupil's phone during the science lesson, which led to the attack.
After the attack, Uzomah was promptly taken to the hospital. He is said to be in a stable condition and not life threatening.
The executive principal of the academy, Nick Weller said, “It happened right at the beginning of the school day and there were some students who witnessed it. A few students witnessed it – in a classroom. Those students have been interviewed by the police. Obviously, it’s a very shocking thing for them to see. The general atmosphere in the school is very calm, quite orderly, we’re trying to keep to normal routines as much as possible.”
He further stated, “... the police are looking into the lead up to this incident, there was nothing in school that led up to it – there may have been other people outside the school who maybe knew something.”
Regarding the 14-year-old suspect, detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson said, “We have arrested a 14-year-old male in connection with this offence and he is currently in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. This is believed to be an isolated incident and the police are continuing inquiries to establish the facts. We’re speaking with the pupils there to find out what they actually saw.”
In the previous year, 61-year-old Ann Maguire, was stabbed by 15-year-old Will Cornick seven times, at Corpus Christi Catholic College, in Leeds.
Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan said that any kind of violence in schools is “totally unacceptable”, adding that her department is “ready and prepared to offer all necessary support.”
The growing numbers of pupils getting involved in violence, especially against their teachers have had many worried. Even during tighter security and thorough checks, how one manages to walk around and smuggle a kitchen knife is equally shocking, as well as disturbing.
The 14-year-old appeared at Bradford Magistrates' Court, where he was charged with the attempted murder of his teacher. Additionally, the teenager was also charged with possession of cannabis, and was remanded in custody and will appear at Bradford Crown Court on 29th June 2015.
