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| Teenager charged over stabbing of Bailey Gwynne in Aberdeen | Teenager charged over stabbing of Bailey Gwynne in Aberdeen |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the death of Bailey Gwynne, who was stabbed at an Aberdeen secondary school, Police Scotland have said. | A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the death of Bailey Gwynne, who was stabbed at an Aberdeen secondary school, Police Scotland have said. |
| The teenager is to appear at Aberdeen sheriff court on Friday, when the full details of the charges are expected to be revealed. | The teenager is to appear at Aberdeen sheriff court on Friday, when the full details of the charges are expected to be revealed. |
| Bailey, 16, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary following the incident at Cults academy at lunchtime on Wednesday but died shortly afterwards from his injuries. | |
| Friends laid floral tributes outside the school on Thursday morning and a candlelit vigil is expected to take place on Thursday evening. | Friends laid floral tributes outside the school on Thursday morning and a candlelit vigil is expected to take place on Thursday evening. |
| Describing Bailey as “a kind, gentle person who wouldn’t hurt anyone”, pupils came to the school gates in small groups or individually, occasionally accompanied by a parent, to push their bouquets into the wire fencing. | Describing Bailey as “a kind, gentle person who wouldn’t hurt anyone”, pupils came to the school gates in small groups or individually, occasionally accompanied by a parent, to push their bouquets into the wire fencing. |
| As heavy rain battered the plastic wrappings, one boy talked of his shock as the news of the fatal stabbing spread through the school community. “It’s a very good school, I’ve always felt safe there,” he said. | As heavy rain battered the plastic wrappings, one boy talked of his shock as the news of the fatal stabbing spread through the school community. “It’s a very good school, I’ve always felt safe there,” he said. |
| Like most of the school’s older pupils, he had left the school at lunchtime to buy snacks at the local shops, but returned to panic and disbelief. | Like most of the school’s older pupils, he had left the school at lunchtime to buy snacks at the local shops, but returned to panic and disbelief. |
| Those pupils not directly involved in the incident were kept in their classrooms and told to leave the school premises as soon as the final bell rang. | Those pupils not directly involved in the incident were kept in their classrooms and told to leave the school premises as soon as the final bell rang. |
| As they filed out police officers asked whether they had seen anything of relevance or knew of anybody who had something pertinent to their inquiry. | As they filed out police officers asked whether they had seen anything of relevance or knew of anybody who had something pertinent to their inquiry. |
| “It was pretty hard-hitting seeing the police all waiting for us,” said one girl, who was about to lay a bunch of chrysanthemums. “It still doesn’t seem real. It feels wrong to eat. It feels wrong to do anything.” | “It was pretty hard-hitting seeing the police all waiting for us,” said one girl, who was about to lay a bunch of chrysanthemums. “It still doesn’t seem real. It feels wrong to eat. It feels wrong to do anything.” |
| James McMahon, 17, said that he first realised that something was wrong when he looked out the window during a class: “I was coming in from lunch when the bell rang for fifth period and I went to PE class. Then I saw out the window that there were police cars and riots vans in the car park. I heard the rumours but I hoped they weren’t true.” | James McMahon, 17, said that he first realised that something was wrong when he looked out the window during a class: “I was coming in from lunch when the bell rang for fifth period and I went to PE class. Then I saw out the window that there were police cars and riots vans in the car park. I heard the rumours but I hoped they weren’t true.” |
| McMahon returned home to find his mother watching the television news. “When it said that the boy had died my head just went. I started shaking. Even my mum burst into tears.” | McMahon returned home to find his mother watching the television news. “When it said that the boy had died my head just went. I started shaking. Even my mum burst into tears.” |
| Ch Supt Adrian Watson confirmed a 16-year-old had been charged in connection with the stabbing but refused to expand on what crime was being alleged. | Ch Supt Adrian Watson confirmed a 16-year-old had been charged in connection with the stabbing but refused to expand on what crime was being alleged. |
| He added that incident was being treated as “contained” and police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the death. The charges will be confirmed by the Crown Office in Scotland at a hearing on Friday, but the suspect cannot be named for legal reasons. | |
| Watson confirmed that Police Scotland expected to cease treating the school as a crime scene by the end of today and pupils could return as usual on Monday morning, when there will be special assemblies held to allow them to talk about what happened and their responses to it. | |
| He added that the force did not want to be premature in reacting to the incident with, for example, knife detection equipment introduced to schools. | |
| “If you look at the record in schools not only across the city but across the nation, these incidents are few and far between” he insisted. “An extraordinary incident occurred yesterday and we have to be sensible and realistic moving forward. Of course we can always do more but it’s a very safe environment at Cults and across the education authority.” | |
| Education officials confirmed that no knives had been recovered from pupils on the school premises in recent years. They also praised the “heroic” efforts of the staff in dealing with the incident and its aftermath. | |
| Aberdeen City Council leader Marie Boulton, a former pupil herself whose three children currently attend Cults, said that she did not recognise the suggestion that some parents were considering removing their children from the school following the murder. | |
| “I spoke to a lot of parents yesterday, who were obviously expressing their shock and disbelief at what had happened, but the message I was getting was ‘what can we do to support each other’. Cults is a school with a good pupil base, a good parent base and yes this is a tragedy that Cults will always have to deal with but parents shouldn’t be alarmed. | |
| “I went to Cults myself and obviously I’m a member of the community and Cults is and will continue to be a good, safe school.” | |
| A vigil is planned for the local community at Cults parish church at 8pm on Thursday. The minister, the Rev Ewen Gilchrist, said that pupils from the school had visited the church throughout Wednesday evening, and were still reeling. | A vigil is planned for the local community at Cults parish church at 8pm on Thursday. The minister, the Rev Ewen Gilchrist, said that pupils from the school had visited the church throughout Wednesday evening, and were still reeling. |
| “We’re not working with a script here,” he said. “We’re not here to counsel them, just to offer them a safe place. We think that being able to come together might serve some purpose.” | “We’re not working with a script here,” he said. “We’re not here to counsel them, just to offer them a safe place. We think that being able to come together might serve some purpose.” |
| Bailey had lived with his mother, her partner and his four step-siblings in the quiet village of Maryculter for seven years. His mother worked at home looking after the children while her partner worked in the oil industry. Bailey was her eldest child, and friends described her as distraught, saying that she was only able to tell his younger siblings of the teenager’s death on Thursday morning. | Bailey had lived with his mother, her partner and his four step-siblings in the quiet village of Maryculter for seven years. His mother worked at home looking after the children while her partner worked in the oil industry. Bailey was her eldest child, and friends described her as distraught, saying that she was only able to tell his younger siblings of the teenager’s death on Thursday morning. |
| In the cul-de-sac where the family lived, overlooking a football pitch and green church grounds, neighbours described how local children knew one another well, playing together and taking the bus to school. | In the cul-de-sac where the family lived, overlooking a football pitch and green church grounds, neighbours described how local children knew one another well, playing together and taking the bus to school. |
| On Wednesday afternoon, the first indication that some adults had of the incident was when the school bus made its afternoon trip and dropped the children off at their driveways, rather than further up the hill as it usually did. | On Wednesday afternoon, the first indication that some adults had of the incident was when the school bus made its afternoon trip and dropped the children off at their driveways, rather than further up the hill as it usually did. |