An “introverted” student who felt bad about himself. This is the profile of the 18-year-old who attacked his English teacher with a knife Monday morning at L’Hyrôme high school in Chemillé-en-Anjou near Cholet (Maine-et-Loire). Returning to class after an absence of several days due to illness, this final year student grabbed his teacher from behind in the middle of class before “stabbing her in the face, causing a panic in the class”, a statement said. indicated Monday during a press briefing Eric Bouillard, public prosecutor of Angers. After leaving the class through a window and abandoning his weapon, the young man was quickly arrested by a municipal police patrol.
In police custody, the high school student cited “discomfort” to explain his actions. “What we are going to rule out is the entire religious motive, of radicalization. The only thing he expresses is unhappiness in his life,” underlined the prosecutor, specifying that the victim “did not seem to have been chosen in advance” and that the The student had no “grievance” against her. She had “simply the misfortune of being the first teacher of the day,” he added.
An investigation into “attempted murder” opened
Aged around fifty, the English teacher was slightly injured in the face but “the psychological impact will be much stronger,” said Eric Bouillard. Unknown to the police and the courts, the suspect had also not “reported himself unfavorably within the establishment” and was not the victim of school harassment. According to the prosecutor’s account, he bought the knife on May 23 before hiding it in his school bag. “He sees this knife and he buys it knowing he was going to do something with it. Regarding his discomfort, he talks about too much pressure,” explained Eric Bouillard.
An investigation for “attempted murder” was entrusted to the Cholet research brigade but this qualification may change, indicated the magistrate. A psychological listening unit has also been set up within the establishment which accommodates around 160 students.