Jail for Teen Who Stabbed Teacher
A 14-year-old boy who bragged on Facebook about stabbing his supply teacher in a racially motivated attack has been sentenced to 11 years.
The teenager, who cannot be named, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Vincent Uzomah at Dixons Kings Academy in Bradford.
He used an offensive racist term before stabbing Mr Uzomah in the stomach, Bradford Crown Court heard.
The boy stabbed the 50-year-old teacher once before fleeing the school and bragging about what he had done on Facebook. The post received 69 likes.
About 20 minutes after the attack the boy posted a message which read: ''The *** getin funny so I stick the blade straight in his tummy.''
This morning the judge said about the case that there are “no winners in this situation” and that all the families involved are suffering.
He'll spend six years behind bars and be released on licence for the remainder of the sentence. He could be released after 3 years for good behaviour.
Vincent Uzomah said "First and foremost, I want to thank God who made it possible that I survived. I want to thank the Lord Jesus whose name I was constantly calling after the stabbing and He didn't let me down. I also want to thank everybody who supported me and my family in one way or the other during this ordeal.
"As a Christian, I have forgiven this boy who has inflicted this trauma and pain unto me and my family. It was however, important for the law to run its course and for a strong message to be sent out, especially to kids of similar tendencies, that violence is never acceptable. Our prayer for him is that he will make use of the opportunities and support that will be provided to him to become a changed person who will make positive contribution to the society."
Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, who led the investigation, said: "This was a shocking and very serious attack on a man doing a job he loved, and he was very lucky that the consequences were not more serious.
"His attacker showed no concern by fleeing the scene, which led to a significant policing operation to locate him.
"He worryingly showed a further lack of remorse towards his victim by boasting about his actions on social media.
"I would like to pay tribute to the victim, Mr Uzomah, who, despite everything that happened, has been incredibly magnanimous towards his attacker.
"I hope that today's sentence will give him and his family some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives.
"Such violent attacks on teaching staff in West Yorkshire are thankfully rare, and police will continue to work closely with schools to ensure they remain safe places for pupils and staff."