Harrow School head boy forced to leave after taking cocaine on Easter holiday

Police were alerted after the 17-year-old admitted using the class A drug over the school holidays.

Last week the prestigious £25,000-a-year public school was forced to pull the teenager's name from newspaper notices announcing his new role as head boy.

Replaced: The head boy of Harrow School, above, has left after admitting taking cocaine over the summer holidays

His name was replaced with that of the deputy head boy in a last-minute change before the new term started.

The disgraced pupil, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was withdrawn from the school by his parents in agreement with the headmaster.

A keen football and rugby player, the teenager has received awards in the past for his sporting achievements.

The cocaine incident happened during the Easter holidays.

Last night the headmaster of the school, Barnaby Lenon, said: 'He was a first-rate pupil.

'He made a serious mistake in the holidays and when asked by the school was completely frank about it.

'We were made aware of a situation by the pupil's parents, who took the decision to withdraw him from the school.

'It's a sad day for all concerned, but in light of the school's zero tolerance drug policy, we feel it's the right decision.'

He added: 'All this happened months ago at Easter. The police do know but the school did not report it.'

He also stressed that there was not a drug problem among the school's 805 pupils.

One parent said last night: 'I couldn't believe it when I was told that a boy had been taking cocaine.

Murder: Lucy Braham, the daughter of a Harrow teacher, was stabbed to death by another teacher's son William Jaggs in 2006 in her parents' home at the school

'The fact that it was the 17-year-old who was going to be head boy makes it even more astonishing.

'The boy lined up to be deputy head boy has now been promoted and his name appeared in the advertisements in The Times and the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.'

Harrow has faced drug scandals in the past.

In 2004 Princess Beatrice's former boyfriend was expelled after being accused of taking cocaine.

James Green was 17 when he was expelled after masters found cannabis in his room.

His friend Hal Messel, 18, also admitted having cocaine and was expelled.

In September 2006, the daughter of a master at Harrow was attacked in her home, stripped naked, stabbed 66 times and her body mutilated by the drug-crazed schizophrenic son of another teacher.

Cannabis-user William Jaggs, 23, was detained at Broadmoor for the brutal killing of Lucy Braham, 25.

The Old Bailey heard how Jaggs's use of cannabis led to a huge consumption of cocaine and LSD and his behaviour became increasingly violent.

Shortly before he killed Lucy, he bought a chainsaw with which he planned to kill the son of another Harrow master.

He was later convicted of manslaughter.

Lucy's father Jason Braham, the school's art director, called for the Government to reinstate cannabis as a Class B drug after the murder.