Stabbing girl 'talks' to parents

Published on Saturday 26 January 2008 19:47

THE parents of a 14-year-old girl who was stabbed up to 30 times in a frenzied attack said she was managing to communicate with them by wiggling her toes.

Jessica Knight was found covered in blood by a cyclist who heard her screams in Astley Park, Chorley, Lancashire, on Monday.

She remains in a critical but stable condition at Manchester Children's Hospital. A French national was remanded in custody on Friday, charged with her attempted murder.

Her father, Richard Knight, said: "It's been from despair to elation given the fact that Jessica is still alive.

"You play it through your mind – why her? Could you have done anything to stop it happening?

"She's still in and out of sedation and she's not communicating heavily, but we managed to communicate by her toe movement.

"We know that the Jess we know and love is in there.

"We cracked a little joke, and it was wiggle the toes once for yes and twice for no. She did about five wiggles. So her sense of humour is still there."

Kristofer Beddar, 21, of Adlington, Chorley, Lancashire, handed himself in to police after the attack.

He will appear at Preston Crown Court on February 4 for a preliminary hearing.