A student at a prestigious private all-girls school in Sydney has come under police investigation after allegedly sending a message to a WhatsApp group chat seeking instructions on how to construct a pipe bomb.
Incident Details
The Year 7 student at SCEGGS, located in the inner-Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst, reportedly posted the message on Sunday afternoon. Parents were informed via an email from the school, which confirmed that the matter had been referred to the New South Wales Police.
School's Response
The email stated: 'Some posts in this chat contained material which was extremely serious, and as a result of the nature of this material, we referred the matter to the NSW Police.' It added that police had 'taken a number of investigative steps today, both onsite and offsite, and will continue to do so.' SCEGGS emphasised that they have been 'guided by their advice about this investigation.'
Interim school-based disciplinary actions have already been implemented, but further measures would be 'premature' at this stage, the school noted. Parents with children involved in the chat were urged to remind them not to share the messages 'under any circumstances.'
'It is important that the girls are aware that the penalties for any person forwarding threatening or violent information to others via any medium can be extremely serious,' SCEGGS warned.
Police Involvement
Officers from Kings Cross Police Area Command attended the school and spoke with a student regarding the incident. The school reassured parents: 'For some of your daughters, the nature of the chat may have been very worrying, so please reassure her that it is being dealt with by the appropriate authorities – and reach out to any of the staff if your daughter is still concerned.'
SCEGGS also expressed gratitude to the students and parents who alerted them to the situation. The investigation remains ongoing. Daily Mail has contacted SCEGGS for further comment.
