Police were called to Thorpe St Andrew School at 10:24 GMT on the Wednesday of the attack

A masked teenager who wrote of his hatred of women and stabbed a girl at their school has been found guilty of attempted murder.

Armed police were called to Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, on Wednesday 11 March following reports a 15-year-old had been stabbed in the back.

The boy had brought a knife to school and had attended lessons as normal before changing into dark clothing and a face mask and carrying out the attack at about 10:20 GMT, the trial at King's Lynn Crown Court heard.

The defendant, who is 16 and cannot be named for legal reasons, will be sentenced on 18 December.

Jurors deliberated for just under four hours before delivering a majority verdict at the end of a trial which began two weeks ago.

The teenager "went to school not to learn, but to kill" while armed with a kitchen knife, the prosecution said.

The school went into lockdown after the attack and there was an armed police response, while the girl was taken to hospital with a minor injury.

A photo taken from within a classroom showed an armed police officer at the scene

CCTV footage captured the moment the girl was stabbed in the back, before her attacker ran off while "pursued by a teacher".

The victim described to the jury how, in the aftermath of the attack, she had told a teacher "Sir, I've been stabbed".

In a police interview played to the court, the girl said she was in "panic mode" and felt numb and weak.

Chris Paxton KC, prosecuting, said it was "sheer good fortune" the "defenceless and vulnerable" pupil was not seriously hurt.

"This was a knife strike delivered, we the prosecution say, as an attempt to kill," he added.

He messaged his mother to say "I'm sorry" shortly after the attack, jurors heard.

"I was in complete shock," she told the court.

The kitchen knife used to stab the victim had a blade measuring 18cm (7in) and was found in a wooded area

Paxton said that in a note written before the attack, the would-be killer had written: "I really want to do it, really bad, I hate having to wait."

The note continued: "Motive = misanthropy, misogyny, suicide, bullying. Weapon = knife x2? Death = 2+ hopefully, injuries a lot hopefully."

Jurors heard he had a hatred of women and an "obsessive and dangerous interest in killers and killing".

The boy, who was 15 at the time, had pleaded guilty to possessing a kitchen knife without lawful authority and wounding with intent, but prosecutors proceeded with the attempted murder charge.

The boy did not give evidence during his trial. Instead, his barrister argued he could not have intended to kill the girl because he used "limited force" with the blade.

Pictures shared with the BBC showed some children hiding underneath their desks in the aftermath of the attack

Having been found guilty, the judge Mr Justice Lickey warned the boy: "I'm sure you understand because of the very serious nature of the offence I will have to consider not only a custodial sentence, but one of some considerable length."

He nodded and replied "yes sir" before being led to the cells.

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HM Courts & Tribunals Service