Friend's warned stabbed teenager about dating older man - Telegraph.co.uk

"She just mentioned that a boy called Sam had started working as a stable boy at the same stable she kept her horses.

"We warned her about getting too close with a guy older than her - especially as there is such an age gap.

"She usually likes guys in the year above - but it was unusual for her to talk about someone that much older.

"As far as we all knew it was a completely secret relationship, she never really mentioned him after that.

"We never really saw him and she hadn't mentioned him for a while either."

Mr Tomlinson was arrested on suspicion of stabbing Miss West nine times in the face and neck as she arrived for lessons at Ridgewood High School in Stourbridge, West Mids.

She was attacked in front of pupils and staff shortly before 9am on Friday morning.

Police said they received a 999 call about the attack on the girl at 8.42am and arrived to find a man being restrained by teachers, parents and students.

Speaking from her home in Stourbridge, West Mids, Miss Hill revealed how she jumped on the back of the suspect as he attacked her friend.

She said she pulled his hair and tried to wrestle him off her friend.

She said: "We were in a group of friends and he came up behind us and stopped the car and started yelling 'why haven't you been talking to me'.

"Chloe replied to him 'What are you doing here?, why are you here?'

"He was walking towards us with a purpose, he looked really threatening and angry, then he grabbed Chloe in a headlock and started hitting her in the face.

"I jumped on him and started trying to pull him back, but he threw me off and onto the floor and then he got Chloe on the floor and then got on top of her and started to stab her.

"He was stabbing her in the face and the neck, the teachers saw what was happening and they ran over to us.

"They were trying to keep him on the floor while she was crying and screaming and we were all quickly taken inside.

"The knife was silver all over and about four inches long, like a kitchen knife."

Miss Hill said she was helped in the initial attempt to stop the alleged attacker by Ben Hudson who rugby tackled the attacker to the floor.

She said: "If we hadn't have jumped on him he wouldn't have had to keep stopping to get us off, I think he was trying to kill her. There was blood all over her. I couldn't recognise her face.

"Chloe is such a nice girl, she's really quiet, everybody loves her. I can't believe this happened."

One pupil - who did not wish to be named - said: "I heard he stabbed her because she stopped texting him back."

A spokesman for Ridgewood High School said the school will be open as normal from Monday. He said those who had witnessed the stabbing would be getting counciling.

On friday terrified local residents spoke of their shock at the knife attack.

Ivan Daniels, 69, who lives opposite the school said: "There was a lot of commotion outside - I'd not long been up and was eating my breakfast out back with the window open.

"Next thing I heard some screams and then my neighbour was knocking on my door and people were running around past my front door.

"A lot of people were crying - and as things started to calm down I saw the blood.

"I couldn't believe it, it was bright red I could see it from my door. It was everywhere and not something you would expect round here with kids walking past every day.

"It's a quiet area except for when they're being dropped off."

On Friday Superintendent Stewart Johnson of West Midlands Police praised the heroism of the pupils, parents and teachers who intervened in the attack.

He said: "I would just like to pay tribute to the very brave individuals, who without too much thought for their own safety intervened at the time of the incident this morning.

"I'm referring to some members of the public who are maybe parents of children, to staff members and indeed some students who were confronted by a very frightening scene here at 8.42 this morning.

"They showed tremendous bravery in intervening and actually detaining the suspect, and in my opinion, based on medical evidence, they clearly prevented far more serious injuries to Chloe.

"I would really like to pay tribute to those who got involved and fought for their own safety."

Miss West's family said they did not want to talk about the incident.