Christchurch man Jordan Wilkes jailed for 30 years for attempted murder of nine-year old girl at flats in Gilder Close

A MOTHER sobbed in court as she told how her once “bubbly free-spirited little girl” has been left tormented by nightmares and scarred for life after being stabbed by a stranger as she played.

She was speaking at the sentencing of Jordan Wilkes (29) who was jailed for 30 years today for the attempted murder of the nine-year-old at a block of flats in Glider Close, Christchurch, on 20th August last year. He was also ordered to serve another five years on licence and was given a two-year sentence to run concurrently for possessing an offensive weapon.

Speaking from the public gallery at Bournemouth Crown Court, the mum had to be supported by her husband as she read out a victim impact statement as the defendant, who was said to be “obsessed” by child serial killers and the Southport stabbings, sat emotionless in the dock.

The court had heard that after the killing of three little girls at a Taylor Swift dance class last year Wilkes had looked up a local dance class.

The girl he stabbed was playing with a friend in the stairwell of the flats around 5pm when Wilkes stormed out of the apartment, which he shared with his mother, and stabbed her three times in an unprovoked attack.

One of the wounds on her shoulder was so deep her bone was exposed. He had also stabbed her in the throat and knee. Wilkes, who was found guilty of the charges after a trial, held onto her so tightly during the stabbings that he pulled out a clump of her hair.

Miraculously the girls managed to escape to another flat upstairs.

Today the mum of the girl attacked told the court her daughter had been left with physical and mental scars as a result.

She said: “The little girl she once was is no longer with us.”

“She has always been a bubbly, free-spirited child. She always loved to be outside playing with her friends.

“She was a very happy, carefree child who loved her independence and being active as much as possible. She loved school, where she excelled every day, She had a real big passion for gymnastics and was very good at it.”

But she added her daughter now struggles to sleep, suffers flashbacks of the attack and nightmares in which someone is trying to kill her and her family.

The attack left her needing help to wash, dress and use the toilet. She had been diagnosed with PTSD and now had emotional outbursts and receives weekly therapy.

Her wounds meant she could not even “hug a family member” which left her “extremely distressed”. The mum added: “My husband and I felt many times that we could do nothing to comfort her, which left us feeling helpless.”

Her daughter now struggles to sleep: “She has recurring thoughts of the wicked attack on her by that man.

“The physical injuries have started to heal, however, the mental scars that have been left will never leave. She will struggle to leave the house or go anywhere unless her dad or I are there with her. She is frightened and untrusting of any unknown person that she sees, and the world around her as become unsettling and scary.”

The mum revealed her daughter was “lucky to be alive” but has “also expressed during frequent emotional spirals how life is now horrible, so much so she wishes she wasn’t” adding “she carries a life sentence of her own because of that man”.

“What happened on 20th August 2024 may have just been an ordinary day to most, but to my family and I it will stick with us forever as the day we almost lost our little girl. And for her this is the day where she lost her child-like self. No child should be stripped of their childhood and lose their innocence like she did.”

The court heard that her nine-year-old friend who had witnessed the attack had also been left suffering nightmares and flashbacks.

Prosecutor Berenice Mulvanny revealed that Wilkes, who is autistic, had been convicted in 2016 of ABH after punching and kicking an eight-year-old before banging his head on the ground and stamping on his face until he was unconscious. The attack had happened because the boy and his friends had been playing on bins near Wilkes’ home. He received a suspended sentence for the attack.

Four years later he set fire to a pram left outside his home, and in 2022 police were called after he shouted and swore at a child.

Defence barrister Nick Robinson said Wilkes was “remorseful” and, although he had a stash of knives in his apartment, had used the one with the “smallest blade” in the attack.

He said Wilkes has an IQ of 72, is an epileptic, and had been bullied all his life.

Sentencing Wilkes, Judge William Mousley called him a “dangerous offender” but he added the attack on the girl had been “short lived and not premeditated”.

However, he added: “You had an interest in child killings and decided to carry it out yourself.”

He praised the “remarkable” bravery of the two girls and their families, adding of the victim: “I hope she will come to terms with what has happened.”

Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Aimee Schock echoed the judge’s comments on the girls’ courage: “This was a horrific knife attack on a defenceless young girl that could easily have had fatal consequences.

“I want to thank the young victim in this case and her friend for the courage they have shown in giving evidence and helping to build a case against Wilkes, which ultimately led to his conviction for attempted murder.

“Thanks to the swift response of the emergency services to this shocking incident, we were not only able to quickly provide immediate first aid to the young girl for her injuries but also arrested the defendant shortly after his violent attack.”

Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, Kelly Newman, added: “This attack represents every parent’s worst nightmare – believing their child is innocently and safely playing, only to be targeted in such a horrific manner.

“We have been moved by the bravery of the victim and her friend throughout this process. We hope that they can begin to heal from such a terrifying ordeal.

“The CPS, working closely with our criminal justice partners, remains committed to building robust cases and securing justice for victims.”