Boy ‘was bullied’ into school arson

AN Oldham boy set fire to school toilets on the orders of bullies, Oldham Youth Court heard.

More than 1,350 pupils and 150 staff had to be evacuated from the school after the 15-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, set fire to a toilet block on May 8.

The fire also caused around £5,000 worth of damage, which the boy’s father has been ordered to pay back.

Prosecuting solicitor Lucy Bridge told the court that the boy had entered the toilets with two friends at around 1.45pm and checked where the security cameras were.

He then went back into the toilets on his own, this time with his hood up, and set fire to a toilet roll. But, Naila Akhtar, defending, said: “These boys were not friends, they were actually bullies.

“They were the ones who told him to check where the security cameras were and to put a hood over his head. He didn’t do those things by himself.”

Miss Akhtar described how the boy was bullied over a period of 12 months leading up to the incident by one of the other boys, who had threatened him with a knife. The boy has since been expelled.

Miss Akhtar said: “He comes from a good family, who were worried that he was not engaging with them and are relieved that the bullying has now been brought to light.”

Sentencing him to a 12-month referral order, which means he has to report to the youth offending service over the next year, chairman of the magistrates, Marjorie Bray said: “We have taken into account the fact that you pleaded guilty at an early stage, the events leading up this event and your personal background.

“You are a lucky boy to have not been sent into custody.”