11 July 2023 , 15:05
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Harrowing footage captures an armed police officer tell a group of pupils to hide at the back of a cupboard in the aftermath of a stabbing at a school yesterday.
Jamie Samson, a maths teacher, was rushed to hospital following the attack at Tewkesbury Academy in the Gloucestershire town. A teenage boy has been arrested after the secondary school was put into lockdown, during which an armed police officer ensured children were safe.
Footage taken at the school shows the moment officers searched for someone with a knife, and to do so, requested pupils barricade themselves in the cupboard.
The officer, who reportedly "kicked in" the classroom door, says: "Listen, everyone stay nice and calm. Stay right at the back (of the cupboard) and just stay nice and calm."
Police officers are pictured at the gates of Tewkesbury Academy following the arrest (PA)Gloucestershire Police confirmed a teenage suspect, from Tewkesbury, had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The boy remains in custody today.
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Speaking after the lockdown was lifted, a relative of one of the pupils in the cupboard said she spent around another hour there before eventually being released.
She said: "They were in there for about four hours. The school went into lockdown at around 9.10am and the teacher put ladders against the door.
"When the pupils asked what was wrong she said she couldn’t say but would tell us when they got into the cupboard. When they got in there she said they were in lockdown but she couldn’t say any more because she didn’t know anything."
Parents console each other after the stabbing of a teacher at a school (Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)Mr Samson, who has been a teacher at the school for six years according to his LinkedIn page, is now back at home recovering. The 27-year-old man, a former head boy of his own school in Newport, south Wales, is popular with students, parents said.
Police carried out a thorough search for the suspect.
Jamie Sansom, a maths teacher, suffered a single stab wound and was dashed to hospitalSpeaking of the moment police arrested the teen, Assistant Chief Constable Ocone told reporters: "It was initially thought that the suspect had fled the scene and hidden himself in the school grounds. Our officers, including specialist trained armed police, attended and carried out a thorough search.
"This search was both complex and meticulous in nature as we sought to ensure there were no further injured parties as well as seeking the arrest of the suspect. At this stage the motivation behind the attack is unclear and at this time there is no evidence to suggest it is terrorism related.
"However we are keeping an open mind while further enquiries are carried out. This was clearly a very distressing incident and our thoughts are with the victim, their family and everyone impacted by what happened."