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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Montgomery High School: Pupils absent after shooting threat | Montgomery High School: Pupils absent after shooting threat |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| More than 1,000 pupils have not turned up to a school that received online death threats. | More than 1,000 pupils have not turned up to a school that received online death threats. |
| Threats to kill pupils in a shooting on Monday at Montgomery High School in Blackpool were posted on social media. The user said they planned to "kill as many people as possible". | Threats to kill pupils in a shooting on Monday at Montgomery High School in Blackpool were posted on social media. The user said they planned to "kill as many people as possible". |
| The school confirmed 260 of its 1,375 pupils have attended. | The school confirmed 260 of its 1,375 pupils have attended. |
| Parent Anne Hindle said her 15-year-old son and daughter were "very scared" by the "pretty dark" posts. | Parent Anne Hindle said her 15-year-old son and daughter were "very scared" by the "pretty dark" posts. |
| Police officers have been patrolling outside the school for "reassurance", a Lancashire Police spokeswoman said. | Police officers have been patrolling outside the school for "reassurance", a Lancashire Police spokeswoman said. |
| 'No guarantee' | 'No guarantee' |
| The planned attack was in revenge for alleged bullying, according to the Facebook post. | The planned attack was in revenge for alleged bullying, according to the Facebook post. |
| The unnamed social media user also praised gun killers in schools in the US and posted on the school's Facebook page: "Nobody talks to me or notices me except when they're calling me a nerd and pushing me around." | The unnamed social media user also praised gun killers in schools in the US and posted on the school's Facebook page: "Nobody talks to me or notices me except when they're calling me a nerd and pushing me around." |
| Responding to one student, the user asked: "You think it's a joke? You'll see bullets, bodies, and blood." | Responding to one student, the user asked: "You think it's a joke? You'll see bullets, bodies, and blood." |
| Reaction from concerned parents | |
| Anne Hindle, who has a son and a daughter studying for GCSEs at Montgomery High School, decided to keep her children at home. | |
| "They are very scared, to be honest," she said. "They are both aged 15 and in their GCSE year, so it is a big decision to take. | "They are very scared, to be honest," she said. "They are both aged 15 and in their GCSE year, so it is a big decision to take. |
| "I have read the posts on Facebook and they are pretty dark. The police say there is no credible threat but we have no guarantee." | "I have read the posts on Facebook and they are pretty dark. The police say there is no credible threat but we have no guarantee." |
| David Porter is the father of a first-year pupil and decided not to send his boy to school. | |
| "He's very brainy and is up at 07:30 every day but he is scared and it takes a lot to keep him off," he said. | |
| "We want to be sure whoever posted this message is caught. | |
| "I do not know if we will send him to school on Tuesday." | |
| 'Non-credible threat' | 'Non-credible threat' |
| School principal Tony Nicholson said: "One wonderful thing that just shows the commitment [of the staff] is that I have got 100% attendance - it is a large school [and] every single staff member was here early." | School principal Tony Nicholson said: "One wonderful thing that just shows the commitment [of the staff] is that I have got 100% attendance - it is a large school [and] every single staff member was here early." |
| He said parents should be reassured by the police assessment that this was "a non-credible threat". | He said parents should be reassured by the police assessment that this was "a non-credible threat". |
| "That's been repeated throughout the whole course of the week. The police are here in a reassuring capacity and in significant numbers." | "That's been repeated throughout the whole course of the week. The police are here in a reassuring capacity and in significant numbers." |
| The school has told parents it had planned "for an orderly start to the term with 'safe business as usual' being our aim". | The school has told parents it had planned "for an orderly start to the term with 'safe business as usual' being our aim". |
| Blackpool Council has provided counselling services for any students who have "found the last few days upsetting and stressful". | Blackpool Council has provided counselling services for any students who have "found the last few days upsetting and stressful". |
| In a statement, Lancashire Police said there was "nothing to suggest these messages pose a credible threat". | In a statement, Lancashire Police said there was "nothing to suggest these messages pose a credible threat". |