Teen Boy Stabs Girl in Shop After She Refused His Date Offer, Then Hits the Store Owner in the Back

A 14-year-old boy was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, 21 September, after admitting a knife attack that injured a schoolgirl and a shopkeeper in Cirencester on 15 March 2026.

The Wiltshire teenager had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to wounding with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent and possessing a bladed article in a public place. Bristol Crown Court was sitting as a youth court for the sentencing.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, received a 12-month referral order and a three-year restraining order. The girl was also 14.

The court heard that the girl attended the same school as the boy and had rejected his advances in December 2025. Police said he subsequently used false social media accounts to send her messages. The court was told that he had become obsessed with her.

Cirencester Shop Stabbing Injured Two People

Police were called to Upper Churnside in Cirencester at about 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, 15 March, following a report of a stabbing.

According to Gloucestershire Constabulary, the boy had been waiting near a shop before the attack. Police said he saw the girl enter the premises to buy a drink and followed her inside while carrying a kitchen knife in his jeans pocket.

The boy grabbed the girl and struck her repeatedly with the knife, the court heard. A shopkeeper who was inside tried to pull him away from her. The boy then struck the shopkeeper in the back with the knife, causing him to retreat.

That intervention allowed the girl to run out of the shop and seek help at a neighbouring property. The boy left the scene but was found by officers nearby.

Police said officers searched him and recovered a knife from his jeans pocket. He also had a fresh cut to his hand when he was found.

The girl sustained cuts to her neck, hands and face, together with bruising to her back. The shopkeeper suffered a cut to his back. Neither teenager has been identified because of the legal restrictions applying to the youth court proceedings.

Cirencester Shop Stabbing Left Lasting Fear

In a Victim Personal Statement read to the court, the girl described the psychological effects that continued after her physical injuries.

'I'm scared and nervous anywhere that I go,' she said. She explained that sudden movements now make her flinch because she does not know what another person may be about to do.

The girl said she remained at home for several days after the attack because she was in shock. She also described recurring nightmares in which she relives the incident in different locations.

She told the court that waking from those dreams sometimes leaves her feeling that another person is in her room. The experience has also affected her confidence when making ordinary journeys and her ability to trust other people.

The girl said she now relies on being driven to work because she does not want to be outdoors alone. She said she had not experienced that degree of fear before the stabbing and believed the attack would continue to affect her relationships with others.

Detective Superintendent Ian Fletcher, head of serious and complex investigations at Gloucestershire Constabulary, described what happened as a 'frenzied attack' carried out in broad daylight.

Fletcher said the girl had been fortunate to escape with injuries police regarded as minor, given the potential consequences of being struck repeatedly with a knife. He said the incident could have been fatal if the weapon had hit her elsewhere.

He added that he hoped the girl would be able to move forward after the attack and begin rebuilding her life.