Mother wants justice after boy's 'evil' knife attack on her daughter

The mother of a 14-year-old girl who was repeatedly stabbed in an "evil" attack by a boy says it is disgraceful he was not jailed.

The boy, 14, from Wiltshire, had stalked the girl after she refused to date him before attacking her with a 6in knife at a shop in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on 15 March.

Last month, he was handed a three-year restraining order and a one-year referral order after he admitted wounding with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

The girl's mother said: "If it hadn't been for the shopkeeper and her [daughter's] quick reactions, she would have been dead."

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it was currently "reviewing how the law can better protect victims in the youth courts" to ensure the "punishment fits the offence".

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The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, waited for the victim to enter the shop as he watched her from a nearby car park.

He then followed her inside and stabbed her multiple times in a prolonged attack.

Det Supt Ian Fletcher said of CCTV of the attack: "Anyone who sees footage would say she is very lucky to not have very serious, if not fatal injuries."

He likened the attack to the award-winning TV drama Adolescence, in which a teenager fatally stabs his female classmate.

The mother added: "If you're big enough to commit an adult crime, you should have the punishment, regardless of your age. It was not a petty crime - it wasn't petty theft."

She told the BBC the family remained "scared" after the boy's "evil and sick" attack.

She added that his age should not have spared him from a youth detention centre.

"I feel angry. We're incredibly let down; we feel like everyone's failed us," she said.

"It's disgusting. It's absolutely disgraceful after watching [footage of the attack] that someone can say the guidelines are 'first offence and the injuries weren't life-threatening'.

"They weren't life-threatening because she managed to defend herself.

"I want some justice for my child - I want some protection."

An MoJ spokesperson said they had received "multiple requests" to reconsider the sentence under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, but sentences passed by youth courts are not part of the scheme.

"We share the public's shock at the details of this horrific crime," they added.

"Our thoughts are with the victim and her family, and we recognise it will be deeply disappointing that the sentence handed out cannot be referred to the court of appeal.

"We are reviewing how the law can better protect victims in the youth courts."

They added that sentencing decisions are made by independent judges and magistrates, in line with the sentencing guidelines.

Carole Gould, whose teenage daughter Ellie was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in May 2019, described the sentence as "wrong, immoral, and unjust".

Ellie was strangled and stabbed in the neck multiple times by 17-year-old Thomas Griffiths.

After initially attempting to stage the scene as a suicide, Griffiths later admitted murder and was jailed for a minimum of 12 and a half years in November 2019.

"I'm absolutely appalled at the outcome of this case," she said.

"In my mind, there is no doubt about it - this was premeditated attempted murder.

"All I could think of was that poor girl and her family, and the terrible trauma that she's going to have to live with for the rest of her life."

Gould agreed "the outcome could so easily have been different", as many of the knife wounds were focused around the victim's neck.

"I thoroughly believe in rehabilitation, but equally, there has to be repercussions for such behaviour," she said.

"It just sends the message that violence against women and girls is not being taken seriously."

In a statement read out in court, the girl described having nightmares since the attack.

"I relive the incident, but in these dreams it happens in different places.

"I sleep in the dark but when I wake, I constantly feel like there is a presence in the room. I can't stop thinking about it," she said.

After the girl ended their brief relationship, she blocked the boy's number on her phone to prevent him from contacting her.

While there is no suggestion this led to the attack, the Hollie Gazzard Trust, a Gloucestershire charity that aims to raise awareness of and help reduce domestic violence, warned obsessed partners are "more likely to physically come round and find you" when blocked.

Jane Harvey, the charity's chief executive, added: "If we have to go down the route of reporting to police and getting the criminal justice system involved, what we need is evidence of the unwanted contact in order for the police to be able to prosecute the case.

"By blocking someone, we potentially lose evidence that could help secure something like a conviction or a restraining order."

Police advice in cases such as this is to keep contact to a minimum and that you do not need to collect evidence before reporting it to them.

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