Mum tells of horror after son's knife threat at school

Published on Wednesday 24 June 2009 10:22

A YOUNG schoolboy found a penknife and a threatening note shoved inside his packed lunch box at school.

Mum Ann Thomson, 45, today spoke of her horror after her ten-year-old Aarron made the shocking discovery at Towerbank Primary School in Portobello.

The notes and the penknife were passed to Lothian and Borders Police, who have carried out an investigation.

Ms Thomson said: "The police came out to the house to interview Aarron. I asked them if I could see the knife.

"It was like an army Swiss Army knife with other things on it. It made me really angry when I saw it. I was so shaken up, it was unbelievable.

"I couldn't even control my nerves and I did nothing but cry all night." Ms Thomson accused the school of trying to "brush it all under the carpet".

She said: "The note in his packed lunch box said, 'I have got a knife and now you have got a knife, and we can both fight together in the playground'.

"Aarron opened his packed lunch at lunch time and read the note, and then handed it to one of the assistants in the school.

"She took it straight to the headteacher. I asked the school to send letters out to the parents, asking them to check their children's school bags, but I never heard back from the school.

"The school just wanted to brush it under the carpet, but that's not good enough. I want to let the other parents know what is happening."

The mother-of-one claims that her son Aarron – a primary five pupil – was being bullied by another pupil at the school, who she said had left him several intimidating notes over the past three school years.

Ms Thomson said her son had received other threatening notes.

She said: "When it all started Aarron was frightened. It got to the stage at one point that he wouldn't even go to school.

"He's fine now because I keep telling him they are just trying to put the fear into him and if he doesn't go to school, he's giving in."

Ms Thomson said she has had several meetings with the school and education board to address the bullying.

The part-time cleaner, who lives in Portobello, received a letter from the police last month telling her an investigation into the lunch box incident, which happened in January, had been carried out but the person or persons responsible had not been traced.

But officers said the file would remain open.

A police spokeswoman said: "An investigation has been carried out following an incident at a primary school. The person responsible has not yet been identified, but we would appeal for anyone with any information to contact police on 0131 311 3131."

A spokesman for the council said: "Due to the nature of the incident we cannot go into detail, but are taking this matter very seriously."