Schoolboy arrested after pricking fellow pupils with an infected needle

Wolverhampton, England: An 11-year-old schoolboy has been arrested after reports children were jabbed with a diabetes finger-prick pen by a fellow pupil.

Officers said parents of three youngsters at Moreton Community School in Wolverhampton had contacted them on Monday, and detectives have now identified at least 20 children who are thought to have been jabbed with the pen.

The pen's needle "nib" measured only 3mm in length so none of the children were left seriously hurt, but pupils have been told to have hepatitis injections as a precaution.

Sergeant Steve Perry said: "An 11-year-old boy was arrested from his home address in Low Hill yesterday morning (June 3) and having been questioned by police has been bailed until a date in July pending further enquiries."

Moreton Community School's headteacher Carl Williams told the BBC: "We take the health, wellbeing and safety of all our students extremely seriously and we have worked closely with the health experts from Public Health England and the local NHS to advise on the best course of action for the students affected.

"We would like to reassure all parents and guardians that we are treating the incident with the gravity required."

One mother told the Express and Star that she had been left shocked and worried after being told her 12-year-old son was jabbed with the pen.

She said: "I had to sit in the hospital for four hours while my son had a blood test and hepatitis B injection. When we came out the waiting room was full of other students."