A Student’s Dad Sentenced to 14 Months for Making Hoax Bomb Threats
How far would you go to spend more time with your children? A British dad was recently sentenced to 14 months in jail for calling in fake bomb threats to his daughter’s school just to spend more time with her.
Making any sort of threat against a school is not taken lightly. And Gary Barnes, a 25-year-old father of two, is learning that the hard way.
Last December, Barnes called in three separate bomb threats to the Tonacliffe Primary School in Whitworth England, where his daughter is a student. During his trial, Barnes simply stated that he made the threats just to spend more time with his child. He was sentenced to 14 months in jail.
More than 300 students and 45 staff members were forced to evacuate the school during each one of Barnes’ threats. Police responded to the call and performed thorough searches of the school in order to deem it safe. Classes were cancelled for the day, and parents had to pick up their children from school.
Barnes did not think of the repercussions. He created panic for those students, the teachers, and for all of their families when those threats were made. No one should have to experience that, especially for nothing but an excuse for wanting to hang out with their daughter a little more.
Whether he had somewhat “nice” intentions or not, making threats against a school is a serious offense. Barnes pleaded guilty and will now be spending 14 months in jail.