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Masked 15-year-old stabbed schoolgirl, court told

Robby Westat King's Lynn Crown Court
Shaun Whitmore/BBC A police officer wearing black uniform and turquoise gloves takes swabs from a green school gate, which is surrounded by blue and white police tape.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Police were called to Thorpe St Andrew School at 10:24 GMT on 11 March

A masked 15-year-old who was captured on CCTV stabbing a schoolgirl had written notes saying he hated women, a court has heard.

Police were called to Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, on 11 March, following reports that a 15-year-old girl had been stabbed in the back.

The defendant, who is now 16 and cannot be named for legal reasons, has denied a charge of attempted murder - but has admitted possessing a kitchen knife without lawful authority and wounding with intent.

The boy brought a knife to school, dressed in black with a face mask and had an "intention to kill", prosecutors told King's Lynn Crown Court.

Police were called to reports of the stabbing at 10:24 GMT, not long after parents had gathered at the gates.

Opening the prosecution case, Chris Paxton KC said the defendant armed himself with a kitchen knife and "went to school not to learn, but to kill".

He was "dressed in black, masked up and tooled up", jurors heard.

Contributed An armed police officer is at a doorway to a classroom. He is wearing all black clothing with a helmet and glasses. He is holding a large black gun, pointed towards the floorContributed
A photo taken from within a classroom showed an armed police officer at the scene

CCTV footage shown to the court captured the moment the girl was stabbed in the back, before her attacker ran off while "pursued by a teacher".

The girl was treated in hospital for minor injuries and later discharged.

Her alleged attacker was said to have written down his motive as "misanthropy, misogyny, suicide, bullying".

His notes continued: "Death = 2+ hopefully, injuries a lot hopefully."

The prosecution described it as "sheer good fortune" that the girl was not seriously hurt and said she had been "defenceless and vulnerable".

"This was a knife strike delivered, we the prosecution say, as an attempt to kill," Paxton added.

Qays Najm/BBC Two marked fluorescent yellow, blue and white police cars. Blue and white police tape has been put across the road to cordon it off. There are police officers at the cordon.Qays Najm/BBC
The trial at King's Lynn Crown Court is expected to last three weeks

A search of the defendant's house revealed evidence of his "obsessive and dangerous interest in killers and killing", it was alleged.

Jurors heard about notes found by police which said "I really want to do it really bad", adding: "I need a plan."

Paxton said further notes - including one called "victims list" - displayed a hatred of women.

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, continues.

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