Man Jailed For Life For Stabbing 12-year-old Wigan Girl.

24 July 2012, 17:14 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

31 year old Lawrence Wood from Marsh Green in Wigan has been jailed today after pleading guilty to attempted murder.

He was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years.

Police were called to Stranraer Road in Marsh Green back in February after it was reported a girl had been stabbed in the street. Wood had approached the young girl at random as she was playing in the street and stabbed her twice in the back. 

He then walked off and the girl went to get help. She was taken to hospital for treatment to a punctured lung and has since recovered from her injuries. He handed himself in at a police station later that day and had the knife in his jacket pocket. 

Detective Constable Richard Willoughby from Wigan CID said: "Clearly this is a horrifying and random attack on an innocent young girl who was simply out playing in the street with her younger sibling." 

"Only Wood himself will ever know what was going through his head at the time to prompt him to carry out such an attack." 

"Although this young girl has recovered physically from her injuries, this has been an extremely distressing time for both her and her family. I hope today they can now begin to move on from their ordeal."