Teenage girl dragged from GCSE lesson and arrested in front of her classmates over BULLYING allegation that was later dropped
She was told to go to the front entrance of the school where two police officers were waiting for her
A TEENAGE girl who was hauled from school by police as she was arrested over claims of bullying said she just wanted her parents and the experience was a "nightmare".
Emma Raymond, from Nottingham, has waived her legal right to anonymity to talk about her ordeal.
The 16-year-old, who has not made mention of her school, was held in custody for more than eight hours after being taken out of lessons in January.
She was eventually charged with harassment, but the case was later dropped.
The teenager told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme it was "the worst thing I've ever experienced".
She described what happened when she was met by two policemen in front of the whole school.
She said: "I was in a revision lesson for my GCSEs and my head teacher came up to me and said 'I need to take you out of the lesson', and I was like 'do I need to bring my stuff'.
"I asked him what it was about and he said he said he didn't know, and I thought that's a bit peculiar and then he was like 'there's two people at the front who want to see you'.
"So I go up to the main entrance and two male police officers are waiting for me and I barely get to say anything and they just jump down my throat and say 'you're being arrested'.
"I said 'what am I being arrested for?'
"They take me into the police car and drive me to the police station."
She was told there had been claims she had bullied another girl.
Emma said: "Other kids saw what happened. Everyone was talking about it - I could tell by the looks people gave me. It felt like everyone was judging me."
She told the BBC officers would not let her make a phone call on the way to the station.
She said: "I just wanted to speak to my parents. They were treating me like a murderer."
When she arrived in the custody area, "men in cells were either side of me, banging and swearing", she said. "None of it made sense. I knew it wasn't true."
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Her tablet and laptop were confiscated and she said: "I didn't get it back until end of March, about a week before my deadlines.
"It was a nightmare. I feel like it's affected my GCSEs. I don't trust the police at all, not one bit."
Her father, Carl, was furious with what happened - he said police had accused her of being the "ringleader of a hate campaign" against the other girl.
He said: "I'm so frustrated and angry that it happened.
"They could have dealt with it so differently, just come round the house.
"She's had her DNA taken, finger prints, a mug shot. At no time was Emma's wellbeing, age and care taken into consideration."
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: 'We were investigating a report of harassment and cyber-bullying of a schoolgirl.
"Whilst the reports were being investigated further evidence came to light of serious threats of physical harm being made.
"As a result of this new information and the escalation in the potential risk, a decision was made to make an arrest at the earliest possible opportunity and an arrest was made at the school.
"It is not normal procedure for Nottinghamshire Police to make arrests on school property.
"However, in this instance, the action was judged to be warranted based on the threat and risk from the information available at the time.
"The subsequent investigation has shown this information to be false and no further action was taken against the arrested person.
"The schoolgirl who made the report was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and a detailed investigation was carried out by CID.
"However, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute and no further action was taken.
"Nottinghamshire Police understands that the decision to make an arrest on school grounds as well as the subsequent detention at a Police station and restrictions around contact was upsetting and distressing to both the person arrested and her family.
"We have met with the family to discuss the rationale behind decision to make the arrest on school grounds.
"The decisions in this investigation were not taken lightly but made due to the information available at the time and in order to minimise the potential for physical harm."
Nottinghamshire Police said it had received a complaint about the arrest.
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