Police probe '˜organised fight' at Cookstown's Holy Trinity College

Police are investigating after a video of an '˜organised fight' at Holy Trinity College appeared online with the caption 'name the school...'.
Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-312Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-312
Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-312

The video, which has racked up almost 70,000 views, shows one male student hitting another off guard pupil in the school corridor.

A scuffle then ensues, before teachers appear and put an end to the fight.

School principal, Mrs Isabel Russell said: “The School is treating the incident as extremely serious. It is therefore inappropriate at this time to offer any comment as the Incident is still being investigated by the school”.

The main entrance to Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-311The main entrance to Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-311
The main entrance to Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-311

Despite being liked and shared hundreds of times, the video has come in for some abuse online with many taking to Facebook to question why anyone would “spread it for entertainment”.

One said: “If a kid assaulted my kid like that, I would have him arrested and then his life would be destroyed before it began... Disgusting. And yet again the total morons who run this page like to spread it for entertainment.”

The PSNI said it was aware of the fight and had “received a report about so called ‘organised fights’ having taken place at school premises and understand this may have been instigated via social media networks.

Inspector Daniel Walsh said: “We are investigating the matter and have spoken to the school about the issue. Our enquiries are continuing.

The main entrance to Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-311The main entrance to Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-311
The main entrance to Holy Trinity College Cookstown.INMM0216-311

“Anyone with information regarding this type of behaviour is asked to come forward and speak to us [on 101].”

After seeing the video online, a concerned parent with a child at the school said: “Bloody disgrace and my child is at this school. This school is brilliant school but it’s not gonna be getting a great name when we have to watch things like this.”

Others defended the school saying scuffles will happen, but that teachers “aren’t there to deal with that”.

“It was a good school and I miss it to this day,” said a past pupil while a current one said: “Sad to think that’s my school.”

“Disgusted that anyone would find that amusing!?!?” said another. “Any parents worst nightmare to think their children would behave like this.”

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