Pupil, 14, lunged at a teacher with a knife narrowly missing his neck - then said 'I won't miss next time' two days after Ann Maguire was stabbed to death by pupil

  • Violent Tyneside 14-year-old lunged at his teacher's throat with a knife
  • He narrowly missed the teacher, who then disarmed and restrained him
  • Angry teenager then told him: 'I would do it again. I won't miss next time'
  • The attack came just two days after teacher Ann Maguire was killed by pupil
  • He has narrowly avoided custody after he admitted the offence in court

By Corey Charlton

Published: | Updated:

A violent pupil who lunged at a teacher with a knife just two days after teacher Ann Maguire was killed told him: 'I won’t miss next time', a court heard.

The 14-year-old had been removed from a cookery class when he picked up the cutlery blade and thrust it towards the tutor, narrowly missing his neck.

The teacher restrained the pupil and took the weapon, but when asked if he had done it for show, the teen brazenly replied: 'I would do it again. I won’t miss next time.'

The pupil told magistrates at the South Tyneside Law Courts he was sorry for what he had done

The pupil told magistrates at the South Tyneside Law Courts he was sorry for what he had done

He admitted a charge of threatening a person at a school premises when he appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Youth Court, Tyne and Wear.

The court heard the incident happened just two days after teacher Ann Maguire was stabbed to death by a pupil at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds.

The pupil - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was given a 12-month youth rehabilitation order with an intensive supervision and surveillance requirement.

He was also handed a two-month, electronically-monitored curfew, after magistrates told him he was 'very, very close' to custody.

The court heard the South Tyneside youngster had been removed from a class on April 30 for being disruptive and put in a re-engagement room, where children are meant to be left alone to calm down.

The death of teacher Ann Maguire in April shone a spotlight on student violence. She was killed two days before the Tyneside youth tried to attack his teacher with a knife

The death of teacher Ann Maguire in April shone a spotlight on student violence. She was killed two days before the Tyneside youth tried to attack his teacher with a knife

But the teacher heard a noise and went to investigate.

Paul Kennedy, defending, said: 'This is a young man not without difficulties.

'What appears to have happened is someone else had been in the re-engagement room before him, and, when they had calmed down, had something to eat, and a plate, knife and fork was in the room.

'The teacher has come in the room and he asked him to leave.

'He has picked up the knife and made a movement towards the teacher. He accepts that.

'There was no physical contact and no injuries caused.'

Police were called after the pupil was disarmed, and he was arrested.

The pupil has since left the school.

When asked by magistrates about his thoughts on the case, the pupil said: 'I’m sorry for what I did.'

Dave Errington, chairman of the magistrates, said: 'By threatening a school teacher with a knife while in a fit of temper and also repeating that threat verbally, we believe this crosses the custody threshold.

'But we have listened to the personal mitigation from your defence solicitor and have decided to give you a youth rehabilitation order, with intensive supervision and surveillance.

'We can’t have this behaviour in society. You are one step short from custody. You were very, very close to custody.'

The pupil was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the teacher.

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