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Teenager charged over stabbing of Bailey Gwynne in Aberdeen
Teenager charged over stabbing of Bailey Gwynne in Aberdeen
(about 2 hours 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 fatal stabbing of Aberdeen schoolboy Bailey Gwynne, as the victim’s family paid tribute to “our beloved boy and our heart”.
The teenager is to appear at Aberdeen sheriff court on Friday, when full details of the charges are expected to be revealed.
In an emotional statement, the schoolboy’s relatives said: “There are no words. Bailey is our beloved boy and our heart. Our hearts have gone with him.”
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.
Releasing a new photograph of Bailey, 16, the family described him as “a special son, brother, grandson and friend” and added that “he never failed to make us smile (most of the time)”.
Friends laid floral tributes outside the school on Thursday morning and a candlelit vigil is expected to take place on Thursday evening.
“He will always be our boy. We don’t know what we will do without our junior ‘man about the house’.”
The schoolboy’s relatives released a new picture of him, and in an emotional statement, they said: “There are no words. Bailey is our beloved boy and our heart. Our hearts have gone with him.”
At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Ch Supt Adrian Watson confirmed that Police Scotland were not looking for anyone else in relation to the death and that further details of the charge facing the 16-year-old would be given when he appeared in court on Friday.
Describing the 16-year-old as “a special son, brother, grandson and friend”, they added that “he never failed to make us smile (most of the time)”.
Police were called to Cults Academy in the west of the city at 1.30pm on Wednesday after reports of a serious incident. The teenager was taken by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he died from his injuries.
Making a plea for privacy, they concluded: “He will always be our boy. We don’t know what we will do without our junior ‘man about the house’. We need time now to look after each other and send our love to all those who care for Bailey.”
Watson said he expected to cease treating the school as a crime scene by the end of Thursday and that pupils could return as usual on Monday morning, when there would be special assemblies held to allow them to talk about what happened and their responses to it.
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.
Friends and fellow pupils laid floral tributes outside Cults Academy throughout the day and many attended a vigil at the nearby parish church in the evening.
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.
Young people came to the school gates in small groups or individually, some visibly upset, to push their bouquets through the wire fencing to build up a display of bright blooms.
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.
As heavy rain battered the plastic wrappings throughout the day, one boy spoke of his shock as the news of the fatal stabbing spread through the school. “It’s a very good school, I’ve always felt safe there,” he said.
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.
Like the majority of older pupils, he had left the school at lunchtime to buy snacks and returned to panic and disbelief.
As they filed out, police officers asked whether they had seen anything of relevance to their investigation.
Those pupils not directly involved in the incident were kept in their classrooms and reassured by teachers, then asked to leave the school grounds as soon as the final bell rang at 3.10pm.
“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.”
As they filed out, police officers asked them whether they had seen anything of relevance or knew of anybody who had seen something pertinent to their inquiry. “It was pretty hard-hitting seeing the police all waiting for us,” said one girl 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, described how he realised that something was wrong when he looked out of a classroom window and saw police vehicles outside. “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 riot 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 news on television. “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.
McMahon said he had been in the same class as Bailey since senior one. “He was a very nice person,” he said. “He didn’t deserve that.” He said the schoolboy was “quite a [physically] strong person. He went to the gym a lot.” Other friends mentioned that Bailey hoped to join armed forces after leaving school.
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.
The dead boy had lived with his mother, her partner and his four step-siblings in the quiet village of Kirkton of Maryculter, a few miles west of the school, for seven years. His mother worked at home looking after the children while her partner was involved in the oil industry. Bailey was her eldest child, and a family friend described her as distraught, saying that she had only told his younger siblings of the teenager’s death on Thursday morning.
Watson confirmed that Police Scotland expected to cease treating the school as a crime scene by the end of Thursday 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.
In the affluent 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 outdoor games and taking the bus to school together. Bailey was a member of the local church youth group until a year ago.
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.
The first inkling that some adults had of the tragedy was when the school bus made its afternoon trip and unusually dropped the children off at their driveways, rather than further up the hill.
“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 said. “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.”
Aberdeen city council leader, Marie Boulton, a former pupil herself whose three children attend Cults, urged parents to maintain their faith in the school.
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.
“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’.”
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 death.
“We’ve had this incident, which is beyond words, but I would urge parents to seek comfort that this is something that could never have been anticipated in a million years.”
“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?’ … 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.
“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.
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.
