Havant child stabbings: Richard Walsh appears in court

A man has appeared in court accused of trying to kill two schoolchildren and attacking a third.

The two boys, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed in Havant, Hampshire, on Friday afternoon while off school premises.

Richard Walsh, 43, of no fixed address, appeared before Portsmouth magistrates charged with two counts of attempted murder and an assault on another youth.

He was remanded in custody to appear by videolink at crown court on 20 July.

Mr Walsh is also charged with robbery in relation to the theft of a bike on 8 June.

The court heard he had been living in a tent in the Emsworth area.

The stabbings happened shortly before 15:00 at the junction of Southleigh Road and Eastleigh Road.

The boys' school, which cannot be named for legal reasons, offered pupils counselling and has held special assemblies where police spoke to children.

Hampshire Constabulary said both boys were in a serious but stable condition at Southampton General Hospital.