Scissors attack victim speaks out

Natashia Jackman was lucky not to lose her sight in the attack

A schoolgirl who was stabbed with scissors in a playground has described screaming for help as she feared she had lost her eye.

Natashia Jackman, 15, was attacked during a lunch break at Collingwood College in Camberley, Surrey, in 2005.

She told BBC Radio Four's Today programme she was also stabbed four times in the back.

Natashia was speaking from the US where she now lives after her family decided she would be safer there.

Two girls who hid the scissors used to stab Natashia were later given community orders while her attacker will be sentenced at a later date.

In court they laughed and giggled whilst they were being told they were found guilty Natashia Jackman

Speaking from America, where she has moved to following the attack last November, she told the Today programme that police were on campus at the US school.

"My current school has two police officers on duty all day. There are also other members of staff who are paid to walk around and just randomly check on classrooms to see whether they're OK."

Describing events that led to the attack, Natashia said one of the girls had been bullying her for years.

On the day of the attack she said the three girls had talked loudly about cutting her hair off and asked other pupils for a pair of scissors.

"I was tired (of being bullied) so I decided just to give my opinion of her and ask them to leave me alone... I didn't choose my words very wisely but I was fed up."

'No remorse'

Natashia said one of the girls then came at her brandishing a pair of scissors.

"I started trying to back away but there was nowhere to go. I turned away just as she grabbed me and stabbed me in the eye.

"She stabbed me in the head twice and in my back four times, but after she got my eye that's all I could feel.

"I thought she had dropped (the scissors) and was just punching me with her fist because it was so dull. I was scared I'd lost my eye... I thought it was just rolling around on the ground or something."

She claimed teachers were slow to come to help because it was common for fights to take place during lunchtime.

Anti-bullyng policy

Surrey County Council later issued a statement on behalf of Collingwood College, which said the school had a "very strong" record on dealing with bullying.

"Following the incident the college held an investigation, the outcome of which demonstrated a strict anti-bullying policy was and remains in place, and is effective," it said.

Speaking of the three girls involved in her attack, Natashia she said she found it difficult to accept that two of the three had showed no remorse.

"In court they laughed and giggled whilst they were being told they were found guilty.

"Only one of the girls said that if she could do anything she'd say sorry to me, and that was overwhelming to hear."