Boy, 13, found after huge police hunt

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/08/boy-found-after-huge-police-hunt

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A 13-year-old boy has been found following a huge police hunt after a teacher and a girl allegedly suffered knife injuries at a rural school.

The boy was found safe on Monday eveningshortly after West Mercia police took the unusual step of naming the teenager they were searching for as Joel Harbron.

Dozens of officers, including dog handlers and others equipped with Tasers, had scoured the streets around the Chase Technology College in Malvern, Worcestershire.

A police helicopter hovered above the Malvern hills close to the school, while British Transport police tried to establish whether the teenager had fled the area on public transport.

Pupils claimed that Joel was a victim of bullying. One student alleged camouflage paint had been daubed on his face.

West Mercia police had appealed for Joel to come forward and as the day wore on they made it clear that getting to the boy for his own welfare was their priority.

The male teacher, believed to be new to the school, and a 13-year-old girl suffered cuts and minor injuries in an incident at about 8.45am on Monday. The teacher was allegedly attacked in a classroom during the registration period and defended himself with a folder, while the girl suffered her injuries in a corridor.

Many parents rushed to the school gates when they heard of the incident. Some took their children out of school, though it remained open all day.

Pupils were not allowed to leave the school grounds at lunchtime, and other schools in the county were warned about what had happened.

Worcestershire county council said that they had sent a team of educational psychologists into the school to speak to traumatised pupils.