Girl, 14, stabbed 'nine times in the neck by 18-year-old boyfriend' as she walked into school
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Last updated at 8:22 PM on 1st April 2011
- Teachers, pupils and parents sat on the attacker until police arrived
- Assailant 'did not attend school' where attack occurred
- Victim's injures are 'serious' but she is stable and will undergo surgery this afternoon
A 14-year-old girl was stabbed ‘nine times’ in the neck yesterday as she walked into school by an older youth described as an older boyfriend who had been waiting for her to arrive.
Chloe West was attacked from behind by an 18-year-old man who had raced up a quiet tree-lined street at 60mph to confront her.
Police said the youth had been seen cruising up and down the road shortly before the attack in the street just yards from the school gates.
Stabbed: Chloe West, 14, was attacked outside her school in Stourbridge on Friday morning, she is pictured here taking a riding lesson
Police corden: Ridgewood High School, Stourbridge, is sealed off as police investigate the attack
A 16-year-old pupil is said to have ‘rugby tackled’ her assailant to the ground and a teacher then arrived and sat on the youth to restrain him with the help of a parent before officers arrived at Ridgeway High School, Stourbridge, West Midlands, to arrest him.
Last night, Superintendent Stuart Johnson said their ‘incredibly brave’ intervention may have saved the teenager’s life.
Chloe, a keen rider who kept her own horse at nearby stables, was airlifted to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she was last night said to be in a stable condition after undergoing surgery on a series of knife wounds to her face, head and neck. Her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Some pupils said the youth, thought to be called Sam Tomlinson, had slashed her across the face as well as stabbing her, after the schoolgirl apparently ignored a series of text messages from him about their supposed relationship.
An 18-year-old man, named locally as Sam Tomlinson (left) is alleged to have stabbed 14-year-old Chloe West (right) outside her West Midlands school
Others said he attacked out of revenge because Chloe had recently dumped him.
Police confirmed the pair were known to each other but said they were still trying to establish the exact nature of their relationship.
Chloe lives with her brother, Jack, 12, and parents Nigel, 53, a painter and decorator, and mother, Rosemary, a 47-year-old cleaner, in a semi-detached home less than a mile from the school.
She was walking the final few yards of her journey with friends when she was attacked from behind.
Chloe’s parents remained at her bedside at Birmingham Children’s Hospital last night but her older half-brother Aaron Nicholls, 24, told the Daily Mail of his shock at what had happened.
Mr Nicholls, a builder, said: ‘I was at work when Mum called and said ‘Get home’.
‘Chloe’s just a normal, fun-loving girl. I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend, but then if she did, perhaps she wouldn’t want to tell her older brother that sort of stuff.
‘We understand the man had been waiting for her in his car. It’s horrendous.’
Shocked: Officers have praised staff and pupils who came to Miss West's aid during the assault
Scene of the attack: Miss West was stabbed outside Ridgewood High School in Wollaston, Stourbridge
A pupil who witnessed the attack added: ‘I turned around to see Chloe on the floor and the man on top of her, just repeatedly stabbing her.
‘People were screaming and there was blood everywhere. It was truly shocking.’
Another schoolboy added: ‘Her ex was angry because he was texting her and she wasn't replying.
‘My friends said he came racing up the road at 60 mph, jumped out of his car and punched her repeatedly.’
Last night, a pool of water remained visible in the street where the schoolgirl’ s blood had been washed away.
Pupils were ordered to get to the safety of their classrooms and stay there after the 8.40am incident.
But within 90 minutes pupils were discussing the horror over Facebook. One wrote: (sic) ‘mg (oh my God) ear 9 girl from Ridgewood school been stabbed 9 times in the neck by an ex bf! (boyfriend):o! cops everywhere!’
A friend of the victim wrote on Facebook: ‘Chloe stay strong, you'll be fine, I hope you are doing good, I tried so hard to get him off you but I couldn't. I love you with all my heart.’
The school, a specialist science college rated ‘satisfactory’ by Ofsted, was closed following the incident. A spokesman said pupils would be offered counselling.
Superintendent Johnson said: ‘Had it not been for the intervention of the parent, teacher and a pupil, Chloe’s injuries may have been far more serious than they already are, and potentially life-threatening. ‘
He said the Year 11 student, Ben Hudson, sustained ‘scuffle-type’ injuries as the trio sought to fight the attacker off, while the suspect, who is under guard in hospital, has injuries to his hands ‘which would suggest he was holding the knife at the time of the incident’.
Ben’s family refused to comment on the incident last night.
Horrific: The school is circled white and Chloe's house is circled in red - police arrested an 18-year-old man at the scene of the incident
No entry: As police cordoned off the street, the school was closed down as the investigation continued
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