‘It was something I did at 14’

THE MUM and her son say they are battling police through the courts to stop a ‘naive’ teenage incident from ruining his future prospects.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described the ‘embarrassing and intimidating’ moment he was spoken to by school staff and a police officer.

Insisting ‘sexting’ was a ‘frequent’ occurrence in the school as ‘something to do’ - and that it was frequently discussed in school.

He says he wasn’t warned by the school that their policy had become stricter - and he insists he’s also a victim after his picture was passed on.

He became a victim of teasing, he said, adding: “I didn’t want to talk to people at lunches.

“I’d normally just get my food and go outside, but now I go to the library and just get a book.”

He said he’d had to block people on social media - and he knows that other people still have the image he sent.

He feels it’s unfair that he’s been punished yet those who still have the picture are not.

He feels foolish, he admitted, but also like the situation was blown out of proportion, adding: “It’s just annoying really, something that I did when I was 14 that could reflect on my future.”

Describing her son as ‘naive’, his mum added: “He was just a teenager who in this day and age, as I understand it, it’s referred to as sexting, and apparently it happens all the time.

“It’s how teenagers flirt these days.”