Perth teacher stabbing: Teenage girl, 15 given reduced sentence: Willetton Senior High School

A teenager currently at the infamous Banksia Hill facility has seen her sentence cut short despite attempting to kill her teacher in a plot with a friend.

The two female students, ages 13 and 14, stabbed 55-year-old teacher Colleen Hayes in the armpit in her office at Willetton Senior High School in Perth last November.

They hatched a plan to kill her prior to the horrific stabbing, including discussing the best place to stab an artery here via social media.

One of the girls, now 15, risked a long prison term but was instead sentenced to three years and a month in the Banksia Hill juvenile detention center – but was released within 15 months.

The decision for the shorter sentence was made by Hylton Quail, president of the Children’s Court, who learned during a recent visit to Banksia Hill that children were being forced into prolonged lockdowns due to ongoing staff shortages.

The two female students, ages 13 and 14, stabbed 55-year-old teacher Colleen Hayes in the armpit in her office at Willetton Senior High School in Perth last November.

A recent Supreme Court ruling found that a teen in the detention center had been illegally locked up for 20 hours on 26 occasions.

That same teen was also locked in their cell for 24 hours on three separate occasions in one week.

The 15-year-old girl had spent six days in ‘illegal lockdown’ in the past two weeks – affecting Judge Quail’s decision to reduce her sentence.

She also did not have access to proper education or recreational activities while in Banksia Hill.

A recent Supreme Court ruling found that a teen in the detention center had been illegally locked up for 20 hours on 26 occasions

The court heard that the girl, who was 14 at the time of the stabbing, spent weeks planning the attack with her then 13-year-old boyfriend over Discord. The pair even joked about the school burning down – according to The West.

The co-defendant, who was given an 11-month reduced sentence for her role in the incident, first suggested the stabbing as the older girl planned the area for the knife wound – the armpit reading was an effective killing location.

The older girl told her co-defendant she thought she would spend four to eight years behind bars for the crime, the court heard.

The court heard that the girl, who was 14 at the time of the stabbing, had been planning the attack with her then 13-year-old boyfriend for weeks.

The stabbing would take place on November 1, so that the girl could first celebrate Halloween.

On the day of the attack, the girls rode bicycles to school, where the older girl revealed to her younger friend that she had a knife.

The younger girl agreed to hide the knife in her purse, as the older girl had her belongings searched due to previous self-harm and mental health issues.

The court heard three students eavesdropping on their conversation and tried to convince the girl not to act, but they were fired.

The co-conspirators lured their teacher and said, “Ma’am, I have something for you.”

When the teacher asked if their surprise was good or bad, the teen replied, “A good surprise.”

The young girls planned the attack on Discord – and postponed the stabbing to celebrate Halloween

By this time, the three students who had overheard their conversation had warned the receptionist – who then told the teacher to come out.

When the teacher got up, the teenager attacked her with the knife and stabbed her in the armpit.

The teacher had a shallow 1cm wound, but Judge Quail said there were deep emotional scars from the attack.

The judge took into account the 15-year-old’s admission of guilt and that she was not emotionally stable at the time.

He highlighted a psychiatric report that said she was at risk of developing borderline personality disorder.

Judge Quail also said she had made “remarkable” progress in her rehab, citing a letter she wrote to the teacher she attacked, describing that she felt “a monster” for her actions.