Teenage girl charged with copycat bomb hoax call at Wednesbury school

A bomb threat was allegedly made to Wodensborough Ormiston Academy yesterday. Credit: Google Street View

A teenage girl has been charged with making a hoax bomb call to a Wednesbury school.

The 14-year-old was arrested at her home address in West Bromwich this morning and charged with a bomb threat made to Wodensborough Ormiston Academy, Wednesbury yesterday.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been bailed to appear at Sandwell Youth Court on Monday 15 February.

A 14-year-old boy arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of making a hoax call to a Great Barr school the day before has been released on conditional police bail.

Inspector Noeleen Murrin, from Birmingham Police, said:

"These kinds of offences are not only a drain on police, council and school resources but they also waste the time of pupils who should be receiving their education.

"We take reports like this very seriously and have acted quickly to identify those we believe are responsible."

The maximum jail term for those found guilty of communicating a bomb hoax is seven years in prison. In addition to a spell behind bars a criminal record may hinder job opportunities and travel bans to countries such as the USA and Australia.