School bomb hoaxes: Teenage girl charged over Wednesbury threat
A teenage girl has been charged over one of the hoax bomb threats made to West Midlands schools this week.
The 14-year-old has only been charged in relation to one hoax call made to a Wednesbury school, but still faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested at her West Bromwich home this morning and charged with making a bomb threat to Wodensborough Ormiston Academy on Thursday afternoon. The call is not thought to be related to any of the other recent school hoaxes.
The school, on Hydes Road, was evacuated to playing fields as a result of the call, but students returned to class once the building was declared safe.
The secondary school's principal Leigh Moore described the threat as a 'prank call' and thanked parents for their patience and understanding regarding what was the fifteenth bomb threat made to a West Midlands school on Thursday.
The charge comes after a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of making a hoax call to Great Barr School on Wednesday.
He was arrested on Thursday but was later released on bail pending further enquiries.
As yet no-one has been arrested regarding the 14 other hoax calls made on Thursday, the six calls made on Tuesday 26 and the four calls made on Tuesday 19.
You can find out more about the different schools affected on different days here.
Inspector Noeleen Murrin, from Birmingham Police, said: "These kinds of offences are not only a drain on police, council and school resources but they also waste the time of pupils who should be receiving their education.
"We take reports like this very seriously and have acted quickly to identify those we believe are responsible."
The maximum jail term for those found guilty of communicating a bomb hoax is seven years in prison.
