14-Year-Old Boy Sentenced After Stabbing Teenage Girl in Cirencester Shop

A 14-year-old boy from Wiltshire has been sentenced after stabbing a teenage girl inside a shop in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in March 2026. The boy had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent and possessing a bladed article in a public place.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said the boy had become obsessed with the 14-year-old girl after she rejected his advances in December 2025. The court heard that he later used fake social media accounts to contact her.

On March 15, the boy waited near a shop in Cirencester and followed the girl inside after seeing her enter to buy a drink. Police said he was carrying a kitchen knife concealed in his jeans pocket.

CCTV footage showed the boy approaching the girl and attacking her with the knife. A shopkeeper attempted to intervene and pull him away. The boy then struck the shopkeeper in the back with the knife, allowing the girl to escape from the shop and seek help at a neighbouring property.

The girl sustained cuts to her neck, hands and face, as well as bruising to her back. The shopkeeper suffered a cut to his back. Police found the boy nearby shortly after the incident and recovered a knife from his jeans pocket.

In a statement read to the court, the girl described experiencing nightmares and anxiety following the attack. She said she had become fearful when outside alone and was finding it difficult to trust people.

The boy appeared at Bristol Crown Court, sitting as a youth court, on September 21, 2026. He was given a 12-month referral order and a three-year restraining order. The boy cannot be named for legal reasons.

The court also heard that he had spent around three months in custody before sentencing. Judge Ian Lawrie reportedly expressed surprise at the period spent in custody, saying it appeared inconsistent with the usual process for youth cases.

Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher said the incident was a serious attack and that the girl had sustained multiple injuries. He also said the shopkeeper's intervention helped the girl escape.

The case remains subject to the restrictions that apply to reporting proceedings involving children.