Hamdam Aslam: West Lothian school St Kentigern's Academy calls police after abuse following pupil's death

A West Lothian school had to call police following “significant abuse and intimidation” by trolls in the days after the tragic death of a 14 year-old pupil.

After the death of Hamdan Aslam at St Kentigern’s Academy, in Blackburn, officers from Police Scotland had to attend after a deluge of threats to the school while the investigation was ongoing. It is understood these threats were sparked by speculation Hamdan’s death may have been the result of bullying or a social media ‘challenge’ gone wrong.

A spokesperson for the council said, in addition to its investigation, officers also offered “security and support to staff, following the significant level of abuse and hostility aimed at the school community.” The spokesperson said: “School staff experienced significant volumes of on-line abuse, telephone calls and physical intimidation. Some of this abuse came from individuals with no link to the school and living more than 300 miles away.”

A post-mortem examination revealed on Thursday, June 8, the teenager had an undiagnosed heart condition, and experts said his death could have happened at any time. Appealing the following day for an end to the social media fury, his parents described their son’s death as “God’s will”.

West Lothian Council’s head of education Siobhan McGarty said: “Sadly, false, misleading and harmful content can spread fast on social media and that was what happened in this case. It was incredibly sad, upsetting and completely avoidable, but we can’t control what others choose to put onto their social media.

“As a parent myself, I think it is completely understandable that when a serious incident occurs in a school that parents want to know details, but that is often very hard or impossible for us to do.

“We will at all times do what we must to protect our staff and pupils from online and physical intrusion and abuse and I think it is important to urge others to consider what they say and what they read online in future. At the centre of this tragic case was a young man who was taken too soon from his family and friends, and the school community will continue to provide support and focus on the well-being of pupils at St Kentigern’s.”