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| Teenage pupils of private Cambridge school named as Marcus Dell and Ben Thompson after Polish authorities release boys for taking Auschwitz artefacts | Teenage pupils of private Cambridge school named as Marcus Dell and Ben Thompson after Polish authorities release boys for taking Auschwitz artefacts |
| (7 months later) | |
| Two teenage boys from an elite private school in Cambridge have been spared jail after they were caught taking personal items from Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. | Two teenage boys from an elite private school in Cambridge have been spared jail after they were caught taking personal items from Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. |
| Marcus Dell and Ben Thompson, both 17, were on a school trip when they were seen reportedly acting suspiciously near one of the former camp’s storehouses. | Marcus Dell and Ben Thompson, both 17, were on a school trip when they were seen reportedly acting suspiciously near one of the former camp’s storehouses. |
| Auschwitz museum guards alerted the local police force who arrested the pupils at the elite The Perse School after discovering a number of personal items, including a razor, a piece of spoon, a number of buttons and two pieces of glass, from the grounds on their person. | Auschwitz museum guards alerted the local police force who arrested the pupils at the elite The Perse School after discovering a number of personal items, including a razor, a piece of spoon, a number of buttons and two pieces of glass, from the grounds on their person. |
| The pair, who have apologised for their actions, could have faced up to ten years in prison for taking historical items from the site, a poignant testament of the Nazi regime’s atrocities. | The pair, who have apologised for their actions, could have faced up to ten years in prison for taking historical items from the site, a poignant testament of the Nazi regime’s atrocities. |
| Instead, they have been given one year’s probation suspended for three years. Both boys were also fined 1,700 zloty, equivalent to £170. | Instead, they have been given one year’s probation suspended for three years. Both boys were also fined 1,700 zloty, equivalent to £170. |
| “The boys, neither of whom is yet 18, picked up the fragments in the Canada section of the camp. They co-operated fully with the authorities and admitted taking the items. They are deeply sorry for the offence they have caused,” a school spokesperson said. | “The boys, neither of whom is yet 18, picked up the fragments in the Canada section of the camp. They co-operated fully with the authorities and admitted taking the items. They are deeply sorry for the offence they have caused,” a school spokesperson said. |
| It remains unclear whether Mr Dell and Mr Thompson will face further disciplinary action from their school, which charges £15, 423 a year in fees. | It remains unclear whether Mr Dell and Mr Thompson will face further disciplinary action from their school, which charges £15, 423 a year in fees. |
| Headmaster Ed Elliot told reporters there would be a “full and thorough investigation”. | Headmaster Ed Elliot told reporters there would be a “full and thorough investigation”. |
| “I want to hear directly from the boys as to what led them to take these items. I want to ensure that all necessary lessons are learnt,” he said in a statement. | “I want to hear directly from the boys as to what led them to take these items. I want to ensure that all necessary lessons are learnt,” he said in a statement. |
| The boys parents have both made statements apologising for their sons' actions, the Daily Mail reports. In a statement yesterday Christopher Dell, father of Marcus, said it was an “unfortunate incident” that “upset and saddened” his family. | The boys parents have both made statements apologising for their sons' actions, the Daily Mail reports. In a statement yesterday Christopher Dell, father of Marcus, said it was an “unfortunate incident” that “upset and saddened” his family. |
| The two boys are now understood to have flown home, having been released by authorities. | The two boys are now understood to have flown home, having been released by authorities. |