A teenage boy who took a knife into a Bradford school and “accidentally stabbed” a fellow pupil has avoided being locked up.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, was arrested after a student at Beckfoot Thornton School was stabbed in the shoulder in March.

He admitted taking a six-inch flick knife into the school, in Leaventhorpe Lane, and wounding another boy, 15, during morning break.

His victim was left with a two centimetre long wound in his back just below the shoulder blade, requiring hospital treatment and three stitches.

Magistrates at Bradford’s Youth Court warned the teenager about the dangers of taking knives into school, but accepted that he had not intended to stab his fellow pupil on the day.

Chairman of the bench Peter Alexander ordered that the black knife, which the 16-year-old ordered online, be forfeited and destroyed.

In a sentencing hearing yesterday morning, Mr Alexander immediately told the youth that they would not be sending him to custody as per the sentencing guidelines, but ordered that the youth complete a 12-month referral order instead.

He must also complete a knife crime intervention programme for ten weeks.

Mr Alexander told the boy: “We’ve been told we’ve really got to jump on people who take knives into school. It’s got to stop because young innocent people are getting killed on a daily basis.”

He added that the incident, which took place on March 29 at around 10.40am, could have been much more serious if the blade had hit the other boy’s lung.

He told the defendant: “You don’t have to be Mr Big, saying ‘I’ll stab you’. You have made a mistake, a big mistake, a very serious mistake. The most important thing now is to learn from your mistake.”

Prosecutor Caroline Abraham outlined how the incident at Beckfoot Thornton School had been captured on CCTV and stills from the footage were shown in court.

She described how the pair had been outside at break time when the defendant showed the victim a flick knife he had brought into school with him.

She said the victim then joked he should “give it him for free” and initially refused to return the knife, but in “a jokey way”.

Upon handing the knife back, the victim then turned to walk away and felt a “jab with something sharp to his back”, she added.

Reading from a personal statement, she outlined how the victim had been left scared, with him saying: “Nobody should be able to stick someone with a knife and walk away thinking it’s normal.”

She added that the defendant had no previous convictions, cautions or reprimands.

His solicitor, Riyaz Shaikh, told how he had represented the teenager since the first interview at the police station, adding: “It struck me, that this was a child who hadn’t realised what he’d done.”

He described how leading up to the incident, a friend had encouraged the defendant to obtain a knife, which he then went on to do, using a card to buy one for £2 or £3 online.

“It was a dare that this knife was taken into school,” he added, saying that the victim then proceeded to show the knife around “to get him into trouble”.

It was in these circumstances, he continued, in which the defendant “poked” the other boy in the back with the knife.

“It was never his intention to go and cause grievous bodily harm.

“It was akin to using a compass in the old days to poke someone.”

He added that the CCTV footage bore out this version of events: “He extended his arm slightly and at that time the victim turned round - that’s what caused the impression in his back.”

The teenager had been frequently bullied at school, he added, with the defendant himself telling the court: “I was getting threats from other students, so I felt a bit scared.”