Four held after riot at Calderside Academy

Jun 5 2008 by Graham Fraser, Hamilton Advertiser

FOUR pupils at Calderside Academy were held by police last week after a serious fight at the school.

At around 1pm last Thursday, May 29, a scuffle broke out at the front door of the building.

It is understood some of the boys involved were not pupils at Calderside. Unconfirmed reports claim the boys charged into the school armed with weapons as they searched for a pupil.

A 16-year-old boy who attends Calderside was taken to Hairmyres Hospital with a facial injury following the fight.

A number of Blantyre police officers, who are stationed nearby, were called to the building to deal with the incident.

In a letter sent to the Advertiser, one worried parent commented: “My son came home from school frightened and upset, and told me that blood was all over the floors. He said boys came into the school with weapons to get a pupil at the school. Police were everywhere at lunchtime.”

Four pupils held by the police after the fight have been reported to the Children’s Panel.

One of the boys is in his second year at the school, while two others are in third year. The last boy is in fourth year.

Police said none of the boys was arrested.

However, as confusion surrounded the incident, a number of other sources, including South Lanarkshire Council, stated that at least one boy had been arrested following the fight.

Several pupils now face expulsion from school.

A South Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: “Staff at Calderside Academy responded promptly to deal with an incident last Thursday when five boys were involved in an alleged fight at lunchtime.

“One boy was arrested by the local community police. One of the boys had an injury to his nose and was treated by the school nurse and he attended hospital the following day.”

In a separate incident, three youths were arrested and detained in police custody on the same day outside the school.

Police have said two of the youths appeared drunk and disorderly at around 4.45pm.

Two of the youths were 16, while the other was 15-years-old.

It is unclear if they were pupils at the school.

All three were arrested and taken into police custody.

They were released later that night.

Reports have been sent to both the Children’s Panel and the procurator fiscal over the incident.

Police increased their presence following the chaos of last Thursday, with patrols seen outside the school the next day.

Worried parents have contacted the Advertiser over the past week about the fight.

A number of rumours have circulated since the event.

One suggested that police found a cache of weapons, including samurai swords, at the school.

However, police confirmed this was not the case.

The council spokesman added: “The police did not search the school grounds.”

Another rumour suggested that the fight was down to divisions between pupils from the old Earnock High and Blantyre High schools.

But sources close to the school have confirmed the fight was over a personal disagreement which then spilled over onto school grounds.

At the Calderside Academy Parent Council meeting on Monday evening, members were informed about the fight and were told a police investigation was under way.

Eddie Hutchison, chairman of the group, said: “We are all very disappointed about this incident. Staff and police reacted promptly and it is now being dealt with in the appropriate manner. We have been given assurances that everything that can be done will be done.”