A brave Colchester secondary school teacher intervened and grabbed a kitchen knife from a 14-year-old boy after he stabbed a schoolboy, a court has heard.

The teenager, now aged 15, was seen on CCTV “pacing and looking tense” in the school entrance waiting for the victim, who was walking with a teacher, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

As the boy walked past him the teenager reached into his pocket and pulled out a kitchen knife before running up behind him with the knife in the air and stabbing in a downward motion towards the upper part of his back.

The teacher, who was walking with the boy, intervened and grabbed the knife and as a result of his “prompt and brave” actions the boy’s injuries were extremely minor, said Peter Clark, prosecuting.

The defendant admitted attempted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and carrying a knife on school premises on October 9 last year.

He denied attempted murder and a not guilty verdict was entered after the prosecution offered no evidence on this charge.

Sentencing the teenager to an 18 month youth rehabilitation order (YRO) Judge Martyn Levett said that as he wasn’t a persistent offender his sentencing options were limited by Parliament and meant he was unable to pass a detention and training order.

He said the defendant had learning difficulties and a number of other issues which affected his understanding and ability to respond to social situations and particularly his peers, in an appropriate manner.

Judge Levett said that thanks to the swift intervention of the teacher the victim’s injuries were relatively minor and amounted to no more than a pin prick.

He said the incident illustrated the “terrifying reality” of carrying knives.

In addition to the YRO Judge Levett banned the defendant from contacting the victim or his family for two years and from going to the school premises.

In an impact statement the victim’s mother said she had been out when she received a call from her son’s school saying there had been an incident and asking her to go to the school.

When she got to the school she saw police cars and knew that “something awful” had happened.

She described being escorted down a corridor and bursting into tears when she was told her son had been stabbed.

She said the incident had affected her whole family and she was worried that the defendant would go to the school and attack her son again.

In his statement, the victim said he had experienced flashbacks since the incident and was worried he would be stabbed again and be more seriously injured.

He had also stopped going out after the incident.