Police still questioning machete arrest man

One of the victims, 29-year-old Wendy Willington, left the city's New Cross hospital yesterday after treatment for a fractured jaw and cuts to the head. Nursery nurse Lisa Potts and three young children remained in hospital, and were all said to be improving.

A row broke out over the effectiveness of the lengthy police search for Mr Campbell, who was arrested on Tuesday night at the tower block where he lives, overlooking the school, about 30 hours after the attack.

Senior police officers who led the hunt conceded they may have missed the suspect earlier. They said he was found in a cupboard on the ninth floor of Villiers House by a police dog handler.

Hoewever, Mr Balbinder Bains, 29, whose six-year-old daughter attends St Luke's and who confronted the machete-wielding attacker, criticised the police operation and said it was not true that a dog handler discovered the suspect.

He claimed the man had been found by a civilian security guard just hours after officers had withdrawn from the tower block they had cordoned off for 24 hours.

Superintendent Pat Wing said: ``Perhaps we have to accept that we may have missed him but you have also got to accept that if he was a cunning person and wished to avoid capture he could have moved about as we searched.

``It was a specially trained police dog with its handler and a small group of uniformed officers who found the man. There was no information to us from the public as to his whereabouts.''

Police had named Mr Campbell as a suspect on Monday evening, just hours after the three children and four women were injured when a teddy bears' picnic in the school grounds was invaded by a man wielding a machete.

Dozens of police continued to hunt for the weapon yesterday, scouring the grounds of the school, St Luke's Church, adjoining grass areas and back into Villiers House.

Mrs Willington returned to her home, less than half a mile from the school, but declined to talk to reporters. She was registering her son at the school when the attacker came running towards her, knocking her to the ground.

Miss Potts, 21, was said by New Cross hospital press officer Jock Gallagher to be still tired but her condition had improved. Both her arms were in slings after the wounds to her tendons, and cuts to her back had left her still in some pain and discomfort.

``Her room is like a florists,'' Mr Gallagher said. ``She's had cards, get well messages from everyone, as well as tributes from the school and parents. She has found it tremendously encouraging. She's a very brave woman.''

The two four-year-old girls hurt in the attack were also said to be on the slow path to recovery at the same hospital.

Francesca Quintyne and Rhena Chopra are sharing a room in a children's ward above the accident and emergency department. They each have their own television and have been inundated with flowers, cards, and presents.

Rhena, who suffered serious facial injuries, was alert and chatty. Her parents and brothers have been by her bedside since she was first admitted. Francesca is at an earlier stage in her recovery, the hospital said.

``She's as cheerful as possible but is still feeling the effects of her medication,'' Mr Gallagher added.

Ahmed Malik, three, who is in Birmingham Children's Hospital, was said to be recovering well. He suffered a fractured skull and a five-inch gash across the top of his head, as well as a broken left arm.

Flowers were brought to the school throughout the day. One mother, Varsha Patel, 28, brought her daughter, Tanya, seven, who was clutching a bouquet of flowers for Miss Potts.

She said: ``Tanya wants to give the flowers to Miss Potts, who used to teach her dancing classes every Wednesday after school. She was unbelievably brave.'' She said another of her children, three-year-old Maya, who was due to start at the school in September, would still attend.

``You can't blame the school for what has happened. If anybody it is the Government for not putting enough money into schools.''