An investigation has been launched after a 10-year-old boy allegedly threatened to “shank” children on a Moray school bus.
The youngster is believed to have told his classmates he was going to stab them, then got on the bus the following day with a knife.
It was only when a fellow student at the primary school confronted him about taking the weapon with him that he disposed of it.
It is understood the implement had been taken into class from the boy’s camping equipment at home.
Police have confirmed that inquiries are ongoing following the incident.
A parent said: “There’s a kid on my daughter’s school bus who told a few of them that he was going to shank them.
“I was pretty shocked he knew what that was – my daughter came home and asked me what it meant. I just put it down to kids being kids.
“The next day he had taken a knife with him on the school bus.”
Although the parent did not believe the boy would act out his threat, it was reported and police later were called to the school.
The parent added: “My daughter approached him and he threw the knife away into a garden. A couple of kids said he couldn’t throw it into a garden so he put it in the bin, where it was taken out by teachers.
“I don’t think there was ever going to be any intention of using it, and it was a very small blade, but it could still hurt someone.”
A police spokeswoman said: “We are carrying out inquiries following a report of a pupil in possession of a weapon at a school in Moray on January 31.
“Inquiries are currently ongoing into the incident.”
A spokeswoman for Moray Council added: “Staff at the school were alerted that a pupil had a knife with them on the bus to school, whereupon all established procedures were followed.”