Pupils expelled after schoolboy assault video
Two pupils have been expelled after a video showing a schoolboy being attacked on social media lead to their arrest.
Gwent Police were made aware of the video circulating online on Wednesday 14 May, which showed a Lliswerry High School pupil being allegedly assaulted by a group of children as he was held by a man on a footbridge over Spytty Road, Newport.
The two boys and a man were arrested shortly after the incident and all three have since been released on bail while enquiries continue, the police confirmed.
In a statement, the headteacher of Lliswerry High School said the learners involved were currently not in school and had received "the most serious sanction available".
In the update, Julia Fitzgerald said the decision was made in line with Welsh government statutory guidance to ensure children have the "best possible experiences" whilst in the school.
She added the school continued to be a "calm and safe place" and thanked parents for their support and understanding.
Three arrests over schoolboy assault video
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Is It 'Harassment' To Heckle Your Local Politician? A British Court Thinks So.
A court in Cardiff convicted two Welsh protesters on Tuesday of "harassment" for causing "alarm and distress" to Alex Davies-Jones, the member of Parliament for Pontypridd and the undersecretary of state for victims. Local citizens Ayeshah Behit and Hiba Ahmed had been out pamphleting against the war in Gaza last June when they ran into Davies-Jones on the street. They asked Davies-Jones why she abstained on a ceasefire vote—she says she was out of the country during the vote—and Behit posted a short Instagram video of the interaction, calling Davies-Jones a liar. "It was escalating in terms of passion and intensity. We walked off in the opposite direction. We felt scared and intimidated, and we wanted to leave the situation," Davies-Jones told the court, adding that Behit and Ahmed were "shouting and bellowing down the street." Just two hours after the video was posted, "over a dozen police officers swarmed my door and windows, with several male officers trying to climb in through open windows," Behit told the Network for Police Monitoring, a British civil libertarian nonprofit. She was let out on bail, with the condition that she refrain from posting about Davies-Jones or the case on social media. At Tuesday's trial, Judge Paul Goldspring sentenced Behit and Ahmed to a 650 pound ($880) fine as well as 18 months parole for Behit and 12 months for Ahmed. He said that their actions went "beyond the boundaries" of free speech and were a "deliberate and sustained campaign" to get Davies-Jones to stop canvassing. "I would love to say you are remorseful. I suspect you are not," Goldspring added. "I suspect your views will be held until something happens very differently in that area of the world." The British idea of free speech is at odds with the democratic tradition in a lot of the world, including the United States, where political debate is supposed to be rowdy and personal. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance gave a speech in February condemning British authorities for arresting a man who prayed outside an abortion clinic, and the U.S. State Department recently published an article pointing out that over 12,000 British citizens were arrested for online posts in 2023. British authorities are especially sensitive about threats to politicians because of two political assassinations in recent memory. A white nationalist killed Member of Parliament Jo Cox in 2016, and an Islamic State supporter killed Member of Parliament David Amess in 2021. But there's a big difference between threatening someone and simply making them feel uncomfortable. Ahmed claimed in court that running into Davies-Jones while pamphleting was completely unplanned, "like seeing a celebrity almost, like a unicorn in the wild." And being a celebrity means having to deal with the public—whether you like it or not. The post Is It 'Harassment' To Heckle Your Local Politician? A British Court Thinks So. appeared first on
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
What parents think about Newport school plagued with reports of violent incidents
CRISIS-hit Lliswerry High School has been in the national headlines recently after a pupil at the school was allegedly assaulted by multiple youths and an adult. The South Wales Argus decided to gauge parental confidence in the school, following concerns about safety. Only two respondents would openly give their name and both gave favourable or somewhat neutral opinions of how the school has been coping in recent years. Those remaining anonymous tended to express unhappiness at the alleged violence and disruption at the school. "It's horrible. There is just too much social media footage and gossip about behaviour problems and fights. There seem to be gangs and we don't need that on social media,' said an anonymous father of a Year 11 pupil. The worried dad added that social media makes things worse and people are copycats who will 'live up to the hype.' A mother of a year nine pupil said: 'I didn't want this school. It was kind of forced on us. However, there haven't been any issues for us, but there's always worry.' Worries about instability and violence seemed to crop up all the time when parents spoke to us. However, we had no specific reports of disorder or violence. The main issues raised were alleged gangs, social media posts, alleged bullying and alleged revenge attacks and concerns about lack of support for parental complaints. A more positive response came from mum, Jana Powca, who said: 'We are happy with the school. It hasn't let us down. The school is good for us. We are happy with it.' Local lunchtime legend, Uday Patel, who runs the Nash Stores, opposite the struggling school, was very positive about its tradition of good education. 'My two boys went there and it was a good school and it gave them a good education. They turned out well and both my boys have Masters in engineering. 'Two Masters, I think that says a lot about Lliswerry. Things have got more difficult, especially in the last five years. However, they (pupils) will respond to good and clear instructions. In my shop, there are rules which I apply and they can't come in if they don't follow them.' Mr Patel insisted that he must respect the pupils and the pupils must respect the shop. There can be no swearing, fighting and only four in the shop at a time. The Nash Stores boss argued that many behaviour problems can be traced back to 'stupid laws about softness and rights that have caused bad behaviour. There are simple solutions for a lot of bad behaviour.' Responding, the school said: "The description of Lliswerry High School as 'crisis-hit' because of one incident is extremely misleading. Although it took place outside school grounds and hours, it was taken extremely seriously by the school, the governors and the council. Pupils who were involved have faced disciplinary action in line with Welsh government guidelines. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the police investigation is ongoing. None of the people spoken to for this report could provide specific details of other incidents. Some of the views appeared to be based purely on unfounded social media speculation. Perpetuating negative stereotypes is damaging in so many ways, not least for the majority of pupils who are hard-working and well-behaved. Lliswerry will continue to support all pupils and is committed to ensuring that they reach their full potential. Any parent with concerns can contact the school to discuss them."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
White House targets Harvard again with social media screening of all foreign visitors to school
The Trump administration has ordered US consulates worldwide to conduct mandatory social media screening of every visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University, with officials instructed to view private accounts as potential signs of 'evasiveness'. A state department cable signed by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and dated Friday, obtained by the Guardian, requires immediate enhanced vetting of all Harvard-bound students, faculty, staff, speakers and other visitors as part of what officials describe as a pilot program that could expand to other universities. The policy takes effect immediately at all US embassies and consulates. The directive is an unprecedented targeting of a single American institution and the latest attempt to single out the US's oldest university over alleged failures to combat campus antisemitism. It also comes as the administration has attempted to freeze visa interviews for all foreign students nationwide. The cable was first reported by Politico. Related: 'My stomach just dropped': foreign students in panicked limbo as Trump cancels visa interviews Consular officers must now refuse Harvard visa applications until fraud prevention units complete 'comprehensive and thorough vetting' of applicants' entire online presence. Officials are also instructed to view private social media accounts or a limited online presence as potentially 'reflective of evasiveness' that calls into question the applicant's credibility. The cable explicitly links the enhanced screening to concerns that 'Harvard University failed to maintain a campus environment free from violence and antisemitism', citing information from the Department of Homeland Security. It aims to identify applicants with 'histories of antisemitic harassment and violence'. The state department did not respond to a request for comment. The policy builds on Trump's antisemitism executive order, which the president signed in January, describing the scenario as an 'unprecedented wave of vile antisemitic discrimination, vandalism and violence', linked to the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent lopsided war in Gaza with more than 50,000 killed. The measures significantly escalate existing screening that has primarily targeted students who participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests. Since March, state department officials have conducted mandatory social media reviews of returning students, taking screenshots of 'potentially derogatory' content for permanent records. Rubio told senators last week his department has revoked visas 'probably in the thousands at this point', up from more than 300 reported in March. The visa restrictions threaten to compound existing challenges facing higher education institutions already experiencing declining international enrollment. Related: Welsh student at Harvard fears Trump ban will stop him finishing his degree The Harvard directive comes as the Trump administration wages a broader confrontation with elite universities. The government has stripped Harvard of billions in research funding, entered dueling litigation with the Cambridge, Massachusetts, institution and briefly suspended its ability to enroll international students before a federal judge blocked the action. More than 1 million foreign students study in the US, contributing nearly $43.8bn to the economy and supporting over 378,000 jobs, according to Nafsa. The administration's expanded screening requirements could severely delay visa processing across the sector. The cable indicated the Harvard pilot 'will be expanded over time' and similar enhanced vetting could be applied to 'other groups of visa applicants as appropriate'.
