Pupil is quizzed as private school girls sent indecent pics

AN INVESTIGATION has started after female pupils at private schools in Scotland were sent indecent images.

Shocked girls at several establishments received explicit sexual pictures and were bombarded with requests to send naked images of themselves in return.

Police are now questioning a fifth-year male pupil at one of the fee-paying schools.

Parents have been warned to be vigilant and report any indecent communications to investigating officers.

The sexting probe emerged in a letter which was sent to parents of pupils at the High School of Glasgow in the Jordanhill area of the city.

Deputy rector Philip Graham said: ‘We have been contacted by the Pastoral Head at another independent school who informed me that one of their pupils was the subject of a police investigation due to this pupil sending inappropriate photographs to female pupils of other schools.

‘This pupil was also asking that female pupils send equally inappropriate images back.

‘While constrained by the nature of a current police investigation, the member of staff who spoke to me was able to tell me that girls at the High School had been subjected to these messages and/or requests.

‘If you are aware of such communications, I would urge you to contact the police in the first instance.

‘The school will provide any support to pupils who may be affected and I would impress upon you the importance of encouraging your child to approach a member of staff if they have been subjected to this behaviour.

‘We are keen to support anyone who may have been targeted, coerced or persuaded to do something with which they are not comfortable and may be embarrassed to talk about, while ensuring safety in the future.’

One parent said: ‘It was shocking to learn that this sort of behaviour appears to be so close to home. We chose the school for its caring ethos and because it takes its pastoral role seriously.

‘We know that any suggestion of this kind of behaviour would be stamped upon immediately. But this alleged behaviour appears to have been by a boy who is at another school. It’s a complicated issue that’s difficult to control but it’s comforting to see that the police are involved.’

It is the first instance of alleged sexual abuse at a Scottish independent school since the revelations of more than 12,000 accounts of sexual abuse against young people, which were recently documented on the Everyone’s Invited online platform.

Many allegedly involved pupils at leading private educational establishments south of the Border.

A number of schools are facing reputational damage and the prospect of legal action over the claims.

They include Dulwich College, King’s College School in Wimbledon and Westminster School, all in London.