Teenager admits trying to murder teacher with 25-centimetre knife

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Teenager admits trying to murder teacher with 25-centimetre knife

By Heather McNeill

A student from Perth’s inner suburbs has confessed to attempting to murder her teacher after she hatched a plot, allegedly with another student, to kill the woman and then set the school on fire.

The 14-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested on November 1, 2021, after stabbing her 55-year-old Year 8 co-ordinator in the armpit with a knife while inside her office at Willetton Senior High, a public school highly sought after for its excellent academic record.

One of the two students accused of plotting to kill a teacher at Willetton Senior High School ahas pleaded guilty.

One of the two students accused of plotting to kill a teacher at Willetton Senior High School ahas pleaded guilty. Credit:Lauren Pilat/Nine News Perth

The knife punctured the teacher’s skin creating a 1-centimetre wound, but did not seriously injure her as she stood up and turned just as the student lunged.

In earlier texts between the girl and her alleged co-accused, 13, the would-be-killer had detailed her research about where best to stab the teacher to sever an artery. The younger alleged accomplice, who has pleaded not guilty, allegedly wrote back, “that sounds fun” and “that’s so cool”.

It’s alleged the younger girl smuggled a 25-centimetre knife into the school and handed it to the older student, who was subject to regular bag checks.

The 14-year-old will be sentenced in the Perth Children’s Court on July 1, while her co-accused will fight her attempted murder charge at trial next month.

The incident occurred at Willetton Senior High School on November 1.

The incident occurred at Willetton Senior High School on November 1. Credit:Nine News Perth

It is alleged the pair met up and rode their bicycles together to school on the day of the planned stabbing, with the 13-year-old twice refusing to take the knife but later agreeing to carry it.

They met before recess in a toilet block to exchange the knife and the accused accomplice went out into the school quadrangle, while the accused stabber sat in wait in the teacher’s office.

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The 13-year-old accused accomplice was in her classroom when the school went into lockdown and stayed silent.

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Before this case, the accused accomplice had been described as happy and engaged at school, with her lawyer claiming she “got caught up in something she was not able to handle”.

As part of her bail conditions, she cannot return to school.

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