Attack at UK boarding school ‘isolated’ incident, principal tells Hong Kong parents
- Head of Blundell’s School in Devon also denies allegations of promising to waive fees to silence witnesses
- Suspect, 16, remanded in youth detention until next hearing
The head of a boarding school in the UK has told parents of pupils from Hong Kong an attack that left a boy from the city injured is an “entirely isolated” incident and has denied it is trying to silence witnesses.
The 16-year-old suspect accused of attacking two students with a hammer before turning on a teacher at the Blundell’s School in Devon has been remanded in youth detention until his next hearing on Tuesday, according to his lawyer.
British media reported the suspect appeared in court a day earlier over two counts of attempted murder and one of grievous bodily harm with intent.
The suspect’s lawyer said the defendant would deny the charges.
The teen allegedly attacked the students and the teacher in a dormitory of the school in the southwest of Britain last Friday.
The two victims were reported to be in hospital on Monday, one in critical condition and another in serious but stable condition. The male staff member was discharged from hospital after treatment for serious injuries.
Bart Wielenga, the school head, noted that the news of the attack had been reported in Hong Kong.
He wrote to parents from the city and mainland China, dismissing suggestions the school had tried to cover up the incident.
“At the outset, I want to make clear I am confident that this was an entirely isolated incident, something that has been publicly confirmed by police,” he said.
“I am dismayed that there appears to be a perception the school has concealed facts from the public, and that we have intentionally prevented pupils from discussing the matter.”
Wielenga added United Kingdom law imposed strict limitations on any public discussion of matters under immediate investigation by police, and additional restrictions applied if children and young people were involved.
“That necessarily means that we remain extremely limited on what we are able to say, especially once someone has been charged with an alleged offence,” he said.
But he acknowledged his first letter sent out over the weekend might have led to a misunderstanding that parents were asked not to speculate or engage in social media about the incident.
“This request was made specifically to prevent the spread of inaccurate rumours, to protect our school community,” he said.
Wielenga also denied allegations the school was trying to silence witnesses by waiving fees.
“There is also an allegation that we have promised to waive school fees in order to secure the silence of witnesses to the incident. This is categorically untrue,” he said.
He added the school had been focusing on supporting its community and that “our thoughts and prayers remain with those directly involved”.
“The last few days have been tremendously difficult. We are still trying to come to terms with the shock of the tragic and completely unprecedented incident that occurred in the early hours of Friday morning,” he said.
According to British media reports, the suspect spoke to confirm his name and date of birth during Monday’s court hearing, which lasted for about half an hour.
The school is located on 36 hectares (90 acres) of land on the outskirts of the market town of Tiverton in Devon.
It has 628 pupils enrolled in the 2023-24 school year, out of which 253 are boarders, while another 136 are flexi-boarders.
Overseas pupils make up about 12 per cent of the student body, with most coming from the mainland, Germany, Thailand and India, according to the school.
Samuel Chan Sze-ming, managing director of the UK education consultancy Britannia StudyLink, said Blundell’s had about 10 pupils from Hong Kong.
He added bullying or racial harassment was nearly unheard of there.
Blundell’s is a co-educational school for three- to 18-year-olds and costs about £41,000 (US$51,625) a year for senior boarders – from Year Nine onwards – and £28,000 for children in Years Seven and Eight.
