A 14-year-old boy who stabbed a schoolgirl multiple times with a knife outside a convenience store in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on March 15 after she rejected his advances was not jailed but given a three-year restraining order and a one-year referral order. The girl suffered cuts to her neck, hands, face, and bruising to her back. Her mother is outraged that the court did not sentence him to jail time despite the severity of the attack, which has left the victim too scared to leave home alone.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A 14-year-old boy stabbed a schoolgirl after she rejected his romantic advances. The attack occurred on March 15 in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. He followed her to a convenience store and attacked her with a knife, causing cuts to her neck, hands, face, and bruising to her back. Her mother expressed outrage that the boy avoided jail time, calling it a "disgrace." The victim now suffers from nightmares and anxiety, unable to go about daily activities alone. The court ruled based on guidelines for first-time offenders with non-life-threatening injuries, but the mother feels justice was not served and wants protection for her daughter.
Written for “Teen Stabbing Trial Verdict” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but none of the 3 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 65352: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-08
The mother whose daughter was stabbed by a teenage boy after she refused to date him has said it was a 'disgrace' that he avoided jail.
asserted
he → stab → jail
After the 14-year-old boy was rejected, he followed her to a shop and waited for her outside armed with a blade in his pocket before he launched the attack in Cirencester, Gloucestershire on the morning of March 15 this year.
asserted
he → reject → March
The traumatic incident has left the schoolgirl with nightmares and too scared to go about her daily life alone, it was said in court.
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it → leave → court
Her mother - who has not been named - said she feels 'failed' and 'incredibly let down' by the court's decision.
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she → name → decision
She told the BBC: 'If you're big enough to commit an adult crime, you should have the punishment, regardless of your age.
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you → tell → age
I feel angry.
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I → feel → ?
We're incredibly let down; we feel like everyone's failed us.
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everyone → let → us
It's absolutely disgraceful after watching [footage of the attack] that someone can say the guidelines are first offence and the injuries weren't life-threatening'.
asserted
injuries → watch → attack
She added: 'I want some justice for my child - I want some protection.'
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I → add → protection
In harrowing CCTV footage, the boy, 14, can be seen calmly walking up to his victim in the convenience store before stabbing her multiple times
Bristol Crown Court heard that the girl sustained cuts to her neck, hands and face, and bruising to her back during the terrifying knife attack
asserted
girl → see → attack
The boy was not jailed and instead sentenced to a three-year restraining order and a one-year referral order after admitting to wounding with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
asserted
boy → jail → place
The boy, from Wiltshire, had become obsessed with the girl, whom he went to school with, Bristol Crown Court heard last month.
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Court → become → school
But when she rejected his advances in December last year he began using fake social media accounts to send her messages.
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he → reject → messages
In harrowing CCTV footage, he can be seen calmly walking up to his victim in the convenience store before stabbing her multiple times.
asserted
he → see → her
He then chases her around the shop before she runs out and he continues to go after her.
asserted
he → chase → her
The quick-thinking shopkeeper attempted to grab the boy and pull him away from her, but he was also stabbed in the process.
asserted
he → think → process
The schoolgirl sustained cuts to her neck, hands and face, and bruising to her back.
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schoolgirl → sustain → back
He was arrested near the shop soon after the attack and found with a knife in his pocket.
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He → arrest → pocket
The quick-thinking shopkeeper attempted to grab the boy and pull him away from her, but he was also stabbed in the process
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he → think → process
In a statement read to the court, the girl said: 'I'm scared and nervous anywhere that I go.
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I → read → court
Even if someone puts their hand up next to me I flinch as I don't know what they are about to do to me.
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they → put → me
I know this is as a result of the incident, as I wasn't like this before.
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I → know → this
I was in so much shock after it happened.
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it → happen → shock
I didn't leave the house for a couple of days.
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I → leave → days
I never thought something like this would ever happen to me, or anyone I know at all.
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I → think → me
I've been having nightmares since; I relive the incident, but in these dreams it happens in different places.
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it → have → places
I sleep in the dark but when I wake, I constantly feel like there is a presence in the room.
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I → sleep → room
I can't stop thinking about it.
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I → stop → it
'This is going to affect my ability to trust people.
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This → go → people
I'm now getting dropped off to work because I don't want to be outside on my own.
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I → drop → own
I shouldn't have to feel like this as a teenager in my own area.'
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I → have → area
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher, Head of Serious and Complex Investigations, said: 'This was a frenzied attack that took place in broad daylight.
'
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that → speak → daylight
The victim was stabbed multiple times with a knife and has been very, very lucky to get away with only minor injuries.
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victim → stab → injuries
We could easily have been looking at a fatal incident if that knife had pierced her anywhere else.
uncertain
knife → look → her
'My hope now is that the victim is able to move on from these deeply traumatic events and start to rebuild her life again.'
asserted
victim → move → life
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