Last night we told you about the heartless thieves who broke into All Saints' Primary School over the weekend. That was bad enough, but tonight the news at Holy Redeemer Primary is far more disturbing because the criminal elements aren't just burglarizing schools, they are now robbing teachers. Early this morning a teacher at Holy Redeemer Primary School was robbed at knifepoint. What's most shocking is where she was when the butcher knife was put to her neck. Keith Swift has the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
These small cuts on Sherilan Lord's fingers are the physical scars left after the Holy Redeemer Primary schoolteacher was attacked this morning on the way to her classroom. Lord was too traumatized to talk to us on camera but she told me that around 7:15 this morning she along with her seven year old son were walking from the holy redeemer church yard into the school compound when she was attacked from behind by an assailant with a butcher knife.
Molly Hulett, Principal
"A teacher was coming to school, she was almost by the gate to enter the yard when somebody came up with a big knife, held it up to her throat, to try and get away her chain. She was pulling on the knife to fight away and luckily there was a parent who was on the compound with her child. She shouted out and the person just ran away with the chain."
He ran with the chain but dropped the butcher knife into this canal. Police later fished it out of there. Molly Hulett is Holy Redeemer Primary School's principal. She says this morning's incident was a crime of opportunity but even so - she stressed that teachers - and especially parents - have a lot to be concerned about.
Molly Hulett,
"I think the person was lucky today because there were some workmen around and also there were teachers around but they were in their classrooms. I guess he just looked at it and used the opportunity but it happened so quickly. but it is not something that we have many times occurring here. We have spoken to our teachers to make sure they look all around while they are walking. It is very important for them to look around, even when they enter the compound and we will be looking out for each other. Teachers who are here early will definitely be looking out for the others."
But even more concerning to Hulett is why of all people - a teacher was targeted just steps away from a playground and her classroom.
Molly Hulett,
"It concerns us a bit seeing that somebody would try to attack a teacher who came to school so early to do her work. When you look at it, you wonder they break into schools, why somebody would try to attack a teacher just to steal a chain. It is a bit frightening but we won't give up. As teachers we are concerned but we will be looking out for incidents like this."
Sherilan Lord says her gold chain was worth $250. As an aside, in the story we mentioned that Lord's 7-year-old son was with her at the time. While the assailant held a knife to his mom's throat, the boy ran. For most of the day he was visibly traumatized and he had to meet with a counselor.
