Police should delete any data held on four school pupils who ‘accidentally’ dropped a Quran, say campaigners who slam officers for recording it as ‘hate incident’
- Mother of the boy involved said he was ‘very silly’ and is ‘very remorseful’
- The Home Secretary has expressed concern over the police’s involvement
Police should wipe any data they hold on four school pupils who ‘accidentally’ dropped a Quran, campaigners said today – as they criticised officers for categorising the bungled prank as a ‘hate incident’.
West Yorkshire Police became involved after a Year 10 pupil, who is 14 and autistic, brought the holy book into school as a forfeit for losing a Call of Duty videogame with friends.
It was later dropped on the floor, causing a minor tear on the cover and scuffing to its pages. The four pupils involved were suspended and the police called to Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield.
Officers found there had been only ‘minor damage’ to the Quran and no crime had been committed. It was recorded as a ‘non-crime hate incident’, a designation used to record incidents that don’t meet the criminal threshold.
This decision was criticised today by the Free Speech Union, which warned that if the boys’ names were recorded in the incident reports they could show up years later on enhanced criminal records checks.
The Quran had a slight tear on its cover after it was dropped on the floor
There was also some minor damage to the pages, which were smudged slightly
Toby Young, its general secretary, noted that new rules from the College of Policing require there to be a motivation of prejudice or hate before police record an event as a ‘non-crime hate incident’.
The change was introduced last July in what was widely seen as a victory for free speech.
Explaining that the school had already said the boys’ did not have any ‘malicious intent’, Mr Young said: ‘We are hard pressed to imagine a sequence of events more likely to chill public debate and freedom of expression than recording this episode as a “hate incident” and attaching that data to the children’s records, in spite of the absence of any malicious intent.’
The group Humanists UK has called the decision to suspend the boys ‘horrendous’ and said the school had allowed itself to be ‘pressured into excessive disciplinary action by a religious group’.
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman has also raised concerns about the police’s involvement in the incident, with a source close to her saying: ‘These are very concerning reports.
‘The Home Secretary is clear that the police response should always be proportionate and consider the welfare of young children as a priority over any perceived insults.’
False rumours that the Koran had been burnt or destroyed prompted concern among Muslim parents and community leaders, who discussed the incident with police and the headmaster at a hastily arranged meeting at the local mosque.
In a video shared widely on social media, the mother of the 14-year-old was filmed apologising to members of the local community for the damage as she revealed he has been left ‘petrified’ by death threats.
Headmaster Tudor Griffiths said there had been ‘no malicious intent’, but the pupils’ actions were ‘unacceptable’ because they did not treat the Quran ‘with respect’
Toby Young, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, has criticised police handling of the incident
She said: ‘He didn’t have any malicious intent, but he’s a very, very silly 14-year-old boy.’
She described his actions as ‘incredibly disrespectful’ but said he was ‘utterly mortified’ and ‘very, very apologetic and very remorseful’.
She continued: ‘He is beside himself. He’s very, very sorry.
‘He has received death threats, he has received threats that he will be beaten up if he goes back to school. He’s absolutely petrified.’
The mother added that her son sometimes found it difficult to understand social situations.
Headmaster Tudor Griffiths said: ‘We would like to reassure all our community that the holy book remains fully intact and that our initial enquiries indicate there was no malicious intent by those involved.
‘However, we have made it very clear that their actions did not treat the Koran with the respect it should have, so those involved have been suspended and we will be working with them to ensure they understand why their actions were unacceptable.’
West Yorkshire Police said: ‘We are aware of local and national concerns following an incident at Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield last week’
A source close to Suella Braverman questioned whether the police response was ‘proportionate’
Mr Griffiths called the incident ‘a very sad day’ and raised the prospect of ‘more consequences’ for those involved, adding: ‘We understand exactly the sensitivity and the fragility and the concern that has been expressed by the Muslim community in particular and we are wanting our pupils to understand and learn from that.
‘We don’t wish to see young people escalating the matter and taking the law into their own hands – that’s dangerous for everyone concerned.
‘We want to ensure that if people have concerns they talk to adults and parents and we share that information so we can do what we need to do… where everyone has an understanding of what is acceptable and not acceptable.’
Vowing the incident would ‘never happen again’, he added: ‘Rest assured, this is a very serious matter and we have acted quickly… and we will continue to investigate and explore what has gone on. If more consequences have to follow that will be the case.’
Inspector Andy Thornton told the meeting, that the slight damage to the Quran was ‘not a criminal matter’ but should prompt ‘longer learning’ and increased ‘awareness around all faiths’.
‘We have recorded a hate incident, but from our enquiries are satisfied that no criminal offences were committed.
False rumours that the book had been burnt prompted concern among Muslim parents and local leaders, who discussed the incident with police at the local mosque (stock image)
‘A report was also made of a malicious communications offence in relation to threats being made to a child in connection with this incident.
‘A suspect was identified, who was also a child, and they were given words of advice by an officer.
‘We are continuing to liaise with the school and our neighbourhood officers are conducting additional reassurance patrols in the area.’
Non-crime hate incidents are ‘any non-crime incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice’, according to police guidance.
The school is ten miles from Batley Grammar School, which was the focus of parent protests in 2021 after a teacher was suspended for showing his pupils an image of the prophet Muhammad, which is against Islamic teaching.
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