AIBU: Teenage friend put on the sex offenders list for 'pantsing' someone at school

[Neonata]

Last week one of my 15YO DS's closest friends pulled a classmate's gym shorts down in the changing rooms as a prank and unfortunately his pants also came down and he was momentarily exposed. The boy then escalated this and the friend has now been isolated for a day, then excluded for a day and also put on the sex offenders list!!

AIBU to think this is a massive over reaction by the school?? He is a lovely boy who is usually really well behaved and generally high achieving academically.

I'm wondering that this will demonise him so much that he will start thinking he is actually a bad person and it will be enough to send him down the wrong path.

Total nonsense without police intervention and a conviction.

I'm guessing OP that after reading all of these responses that you're delighted to hear it didn't happen

Just shows you that kids your sons age like to exaggerate the hell out of stuff

Today my friend saw a unicorn. Honestly, they told me all about it......

Am I too late to say "cool story bro"? Dammit.

-5/10. Im not even going to say try harder next time.

I did think it was pretty unbelievable, but I've spoken to my DS three times about it and he's reiterated that his friend had an isolation day, an exclusion day and is going on the sex offenders register.

To put it in context, this 'register' is something a loose acquaintance of my DS has recently been put on after he filmed himself and a 15YO girl engaging in a sex act which he shared on social media. I can fully understand that, but this incident seems very different in comparison.

So is this a school sex offender register or the one thats actually real and would come up on a criminal records check?

A person including an under 18 can be put on the sex offenders register after being cautioned, not necessarily charged.
I guess he'd have to admit the offence, but it's not out of the question it could happen the following week.

Well 'is going' is the bit he misunderstood

If it happens it won't happen until due process

Of course he hasn’t been put on the SOR. You must know it takes more than a week to go through the court system.

www.theguardian.com/society/2006/jan/18/childrensservices.politics1

Sounds like it all moves very fast in your son's school.

The official sex offenders register is a plice/court thing, so as other pp have said, if it didn't go to court, that isn't possible.

I suspect school have given him a bollockign and scared the pants of him and told him that the consequence of this going to court woudl be a life record ie, tehe sex offenders register.

I think your son needs new friends.

That’s not how this works.

Just in case this is real, op why do you think that "pantsing" is funny

So people who commit much worse crimes than that can escape being on registers but this, this is what they are concerned with. Okieeee

The school has its own SOR? I think you need a new school!!

Maybe have a chat with your son about the company he keeps

I can fully understand that, but this incident seems very different in comparison

And for the umpteenth time hes NOT been put on the SOR. The other incident is totally different and was presumably dealt with by the Police and courts

Thumbs up! Cheers Q

Nope

Erm...what a bizarre set of responses (but thank you for the helpful ones). I did NC for this as I know the friend's family.

He is the total opposite of a bully by the way, which is why I sympathised so much with him.