Teenager faces court charged with multiple offences after knife scare at Halls Creek District High School

A student has appeared in court facing charges in relation to being armed with a knife which caused Halls Creek District High School to be plunged into lockdown. The boy, 14, who can’t be named for legal reasons, did not enter a plea when he appeared in Halls Creek Children’s Court on Tuesday facing charges in relation to allegedly brandishing a knife and screwdriver while walking around the school grounds. He faces four charges over the incident which are aggravated burglary, stealing, being armed or pretending to be armed to cause fear and threatening to kill. It is alleged that on May 29 the boy armed himself and walked around the school prompting it to be put into lockdown. Police were called to the school where they allegedly disarmed the boy and arrested him. No one was hurt. At the time the Education Department deputy director-general for schools Melesha Sands said violence or aggression in any form was never acceptable. “Schools have processes in place to respond to violence and aggression with a no-tolerance stance and will always call the police if there is danger,” she said. “There is absolutely no place for violence in our schools and every student and staff member deserves to feel safe and supported. Support will continue to be provided for all students and staff for as long as it is required.” There has been a rise in reported incidents of students threatening others with knives or guns in Western Australian schools over the past three years. Figures exclusively revealed in The West Australian recently showed school principals filed 108 notifications last year about students brandishing weapons, up from 91 in 2021. The boys case has been adjourned to August 13 for legal advice.