Boy who attacked teen with samurai sword detained

A 15-year-old boy who attempted to murder a schoolgirl by stabbing her with a samurai-style sword during a Halloween camping trip has been sentenced to 11 years in detention.

The victim, who was 13 at the time, had been with friends near the A63 in East Yorkshire when she suffered 10 wounds, including damage to a lung and her liver, during the attack on 1 November.

The defendant, who cannot be named due to his age, was found guilty following a seven day trial at Hull Crown Court.

In a victim impact statement read out in court by the prosecution, the girl, now 14, described how she was left with scars and suffering panic attacks following “the worst day of my life”.

Passing sentence, Judge John Thackray KC said: “Your victim will never fully recover psychologically from the attack.”

“This case represents yet another sad and depressing example of a child having access to a fearsome and deadly weapon and using it”, he said.

“Untreated the wounds were life-threatening, it was only good fortune that the injuries were not more serious.

“Four of them could so easily have caused death.”

The girl watched the proceedings from another room via a video link as her victim statement was read, in which she detailed how the assault had a “huge impact” on her life.

The court heard she spent 27 days in hospital.

“I was fighting for my life,” she said.

“I will have scars and be reminded what he did to me. I still have pain and I can’t do the things I used to.

“I want to get back to normal but can’t because of what happened.”

After he was arrested and charged, the boy pleaded not guilty to attempted murder but later admitted wounding with intent and possessing a bladed weapon.

In mitigation, the boy’s barrister David Godfrey said his client had a “wretched childhood”.

“He suffered significant neglect and witnessed violence.”

Supt Simon Vickers, from Humberside Police, commended the victim’s bravery throughout the investigation, adding she was lucky to be alive after a “horrific and unimaginable attack”.

“She continues to recover not only from her physical injuries but with the mental scars from that night,” he said.

“Whilst the boy is now being punished for his unforgivable actions, there are no winners in this situation with both teenagers’ lives now having changed forever.”