Private school let police arrest student on campus grounds

Prestigious private school Newington College has defended its decision to let police to arrest a student on school grounds after they reported him for possessing child abuse material.

The student has been allowed to return to the school and continue his studies. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

A prestigious Sydney school has defended its decision to allow police to arrest a student on campus grounds after they reported him for possessing child abuse material.

The 18-year-old student, who is in year 12 at Newington College, pleaded guilty on Monday to distributing a video involving a Year 9 boy, after he filmed him in a shower complex.

Despite the court finding him guilty and sentencing him to an 18-month Conditional Release Order, similar to a good behaviour bond, the student has been allowed to return to school to finish his studies.

Members of the school community criticised the way the incident was handled, and said allowing police to arrest him on campus was “cruel and humiliating”.

“The school handled this so poorly. Kids are making stupid mistakes like this in all schools, all the time, and it doesn’t end up in front of the police and the courts,” the member of the school community said.

A Newington School student, aged 18, pleaded guilty to distributing child abuse material. Picture: Facebook

“This kid was picked up on the school grounds and taken to the police station without support. No kid should have to go through that.”

When The Daily Telegraph approached the school for comment on Wednesday about the student’s charge, they requested the story not be published citing concerns for the boy’s mental health.

Newington College, in Stanmore, Sydney. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

A current parent at the school said she was “sad” for the student knowing he was allowed to go through something as “traumatic” as being taken away by police and charged, on his own.

A spokesman for the school said a senior staff member walked the student to another campus, 500m away, to meet police.

“Police arrived at the Stanmore campus in plain clothes in an unmarked car and no students at all were present,” the spokesman said.

The school said the senior staff member offered to go with the student to the police station, but the student declined.

“The (staff member) checked with (the student’s) dad that he was okay with that and he said he was,” the school spokesman said.

Police took the student to the police station where a support person, understood to be a friend of the same age, was waiting.

“(The student) was not exposed or embarrassed, the matter was handled with discretion and sensitivity, and he was supported through every step,” the school said.