Crawley College release statement after teenage gunman is jailed: 'We remain grateful to the two staff members whose heroic actions helped to protect our college community'

Sandijs Dreimanis, 18, pointed the gun at a member of staff and pulled the trigger at Crawley College in April 2021. He had been due to stand trial in January, but changed his plea to guilty.

Dremanis, of Barton Walk in Crawley, had also admitted two counts of assault and possession of a bladed article on a school premises and will serve five years and six months in a young offenders institution.

Vicki Illingworth, Principal at Crawley College, said: “Speaking on behalf of the Crawley College community, we would like to share our gratitude to the emergency services and to our students and staff for the courage and resilience they displayed during what was a difficult and challenging time.

“The actions which took place in April last year were distressing for us all, but we are thankful no-one was seriously hurt and we have been able, as a community, to move forward together.

”We continue to support our students and staff and we remain grateful to the two staff members whose heroic actions helped to protect our college community.”

In regards to the awards, Vicki said: "We are extremely proud of the two staff members who acted so selflessly and on instinct. They are heroes in our eyes.

"For the judge to recognise their bravery in recommending them for the High Sheriff's Awards is testimony to who they are and to the pivotal role they played on the day, putting themselves in harm's way for the safety of our students and our staff."

See also Crawley College student pleads guilty to armed incident after entering campus with a gun and a knife | Incident at Crawley College: in pictures | Crawley College incident: Recap of events

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