Carmarthenshire: Teachers injured in school stabbing incident ‘cannot comprehend’ what happened
Two teachers who were injured in an alleged knife attack at their school have spoken of how difficult it has been to “comprehend” what happened.
Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin thanked well-wishers after they were stabbed at Amman Valley School in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, on Wednesday.
They were allegedly attacked by a 13-year-old student during the incident, in which another pupil was also injured.
Ms Elias said: “This incident has had an enormous impact on my colleagues and the wonderful pupils we have at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
“I cannot comprehend what staff and pupils experienced on Wednesday.”
She added that she was “deeply indebted” to emergency services and NHS staff, and thanked her colleagues for prioritising the safety of pupils.
The assistant headteacher described it as a “difficult time” for the school and wider community.
Police at the school following Wednesday’s stabbings. Pic: PA
Ms Hopkin, who is an additional learning needs co-ordinator, said: “Ysgol Dyffryn Aman is a big part of my life, and it is hard to comprehend that this has happened.”
She added: “I have been overwhelmed by the kindness from the close community that we have here.
“I believe what we need now is time to reflect on what has happened and therefore ask for privacy for the school, myself and my family, so we can take this time to reflect and recover.”
The teenage girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was remanded to youth detention accommodation after she appeared in court on Friday.
She will next appear at Swansea Crown Court on 24 May.
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Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy who was later arrested on Wednesday after police received reports about messages on social media allegedly referring to the stabbings, has been released on bail.
Police executed a warrant at the boy’s home, in the nearby Cross Hands area, and recovered a BB gun.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the boy had been conditionally released, but banned from entering certain schools and colleges, or the Amman and Gwendraeth Valley areas.
Bail restrictions also included a curfew, and prevented him having unsupervised access to social media.
“The investigation into the allegations continues, and Dyfed-Powys Police is now appealing for anyone with information that could assist them, including screenshots from social media,” a police spokesman added.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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