- Vincent Uzomah, 50, was attacked at Dixons Kings Academy in Bradford
- A boy was arrested after allegedly fleeing the scene shortly after 9am
- He was taken into custody after being tracked down in the city centre
- Pupils claim the incident was result of an alleged row over a mobile phone
The 14-year-old was arrested after fleeing the school where a science teacher was stabbed yesterday
A 14-year-old schoolboy has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his science teacher in the classroom in front of horrified pupils.
The teenager was taken into custody in Bradford City Centre after a large manhunt following the incident at Dixons Kings Academy.
Vincent Uzomah, a married father-of-two, remains in hospital after being knifed in the stomach in an alleged row over a mobile phone before a science class at around 9am.
The 50-year-old Nigerian national had only joined the school four weeks before being stabbed by a youngster with what police believe was a kitchen knife.
Video footage of the moment the teenager was arrested was obtained by The Daily Mirror
In it, the youngster is seen being led away by uniformed police officers after being told he is being arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. A friend can be heard arguing with police before being told to step back.
The teenager had earlier fled the school within seconds of the attack as emergency services brought Mr Uzomah to hospital where he remains in a stable condition.
Teachers later appealed for the boy to hand himself in and claimed he had brought a knife with him to school.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it has decided there is sufficient evidence to charge the teenager with attempted murder and he will appear before magistrates in Bradford tomorrow.
Martin Goldman, Chief Crown Prosecutor CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has been working closely with West Yorkshire Police in connection with this case.
'Having carefully considered all of the evidence presented to us, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and that it is in the public interest to charge a 14-year-old youth with attempted murder.
'Accordingly I have today authorised West Yorkshire Police to charge the youth with this offence and he will first appear at Bradford Magistrates' Court tomorrow.
'This defendant has now been charged with a serious criminal offence and has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.'
Pupils in the Year 10 science class who witnessed the attack claimed it was the result of a row over a mobile phone.
One 13-year-old girl said she saw Mr Uzomah 'hunched' over in a corridor with blood pouring from his stomach.
'We were in the classroom next door and it was really hectic and then we heard that a teacher had been stabbed by a student.'
Another said: 'I heard the boy stabbed the teacher because he took his phone off him. I was disgusted.'
Following yesterday's incident neighbours of Mr Uzomah, who lives with his wife Uduak Imeh-Uzomah and their children Samuel, 12, and Glory, 11, in a £150,000 semi-detached house in Leeds, described him as being friendly and a 'lovely guy'.
The teacher worked across Bradford as a supply teacher to fund his own higher education, spending his spare time working towards a PhD at the University of Salford.
Last night friends said he had spoken in the past of pupils 'naughty' behaviour.
His next-door neighbour described him as a 'lovely' guy who is an asset to the community.
'We have spoken about how naughty the children were,' he added.
A woman who lives on the same street said: 'I saw Vincent leave as I have been outside all day decorating.
'I often see him and his wife and children and they are all very friendly. I know that he is a teacher and I think he teaches all over.'
Police arrested the teenager six hours after he allegedly fled the school after releasing an appeal for his whereabouts.
Speaking after his arrest this afternoon, Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police said: 'We have just arrested a 14-year-old male in connection with this offence and he is currently in custody on suspicion of attempted murder.'
Another member of staff had called 999 after Mr Uzomah was stabbed in the stomach in the classroom shortly before his science lesson had begun.
Mr Atkinson said the teacher's injuries were not thought to be life-threatening and said his family were with him at his hospital bedside.
He also raised concerns for the children who may have seen the attack, and said they were being helped by specially trained officers.
'We're speaking with the pupils there to see what they actually saw,' Mr Atkinson said.
'We've got a welfare issue to make sure we manage as well since they potentially witnessed something horrendous.'
The detective would not comment on whether police had recovered a knife or what help staff and pupils gave to the injured teacher. But he said the incident happened in a science class.
Superintendent Damien Miller said he wanted to offer his assurance to the people of Lidget Green, which he described as a close knit-community.
The attack took place at the start of the school day in a classroom and in front of a number of pupils, headteacher Neil Miley and executive principal Nick Weller confirmed in a press conference outside the school gates earlier this afternoon.
Mr 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.'
Mr Weller said the teacher had been knifed 'in the stomach area', and said another member of staff was at the hospital with him.
'The general atmosphere in school is very calm,' he said. 'We're trying to keep things as normal as possible.'
'This is a one off incident, totally out of the blue.'
Mr Weller added: 'The site is secure. This is the first report of a weapon in school. I think it's been brought in today.'
Appealing to the boy prior to the arrest, Mr Weller said: 'The best thing for him to do is to give himself in and report to a police station because he will be caught and the sooner that he does that, probably the better for him.'
Mr Weller said that there had not been any incidents at the school which may have triggered the attack.
Mr Weller said: '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.'
Superintendent Damien Miller said he wanted to offer his assurance to the people of Lidget Green, which he described as a close knit-community.
The attack took place at the start of the school day in a classroom and in front of a number of pupils, headteacher Neil Miley and executive principal Nick Weller confirmed in a press conference outside the school gates earlier this afternoon.
Mr 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.'
Mr Weller said the teacher had been knifed 'in the stomach area', and said another member of staff was at the hospital with him.
'The general atmosphere in school is very calm,' he said. 'We're trying to keep things as normal as possible.'
'This is a one off incident, totally out of the blue.'
Mr Weller added: 'The site is secure. This is the first report of a weapon in school. I think it's been brought in today.'
Appealing to the boy prior to the arrest, Mr Weller said: 'The best thing for him to do is to give himself in and report to a police station because he will be caught and the sooner that he does that, probably the better for him.'
Mr Weller said that there had not been any incidents at the school which may have triggered the attack.
Mr Weller said: '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.'
No comments:
Post a Comment