London: One of Britain's top public schools was at the centre of a police probe into child pornography yesterday after a boy was arrested on suspicion of filming naked pupils.

Police swooped on Charterhouse following reports of a 16-year-old boy filming pupils while they were in the showers.

The schoolboy is said to have captured "indecent images" in a shocking video which was allegedly stored on his computer.

Last night it was unclear whether the video had been posted online, but police were alerted after staff at the school learnt of the suspected prank.

Surrey Police arrested the boy at the school, which is one of the most expensive in Britain, charging fees of up to £30,534 (Dh177,097) a year.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was questioned by officers for several hours about making "indecent images of a child" before being released on bail last Thursday.

Yesterday the deputy headmaster Andrew Turner confirmed a pupil had been quizzed by police regarding alleged material on a computer, but refused to discuss whether the incident was a schoolboy prank or a more serious malicious attack on a group of students.

When asked whether a separate inquiry was under way at the school, he said it was a matter for the police. It is not known whether the student has been suspended.

Surrey Police said they were taking the allegations seriously yesterday. A spokesman said: "A 16-year-old boy was arrested in Godalming on Thursday on suspicion of making indecent images of a child.

Released on bail

"Following interviews, he has been released on bail."

The incident is likely to alarm parents of pupils at the historic school, which teaches boys aged 13 to 18 and girls over the age of 16.

Founded as a school for boys in 1611 at a monastery in London, Charterhouse moved to Godalming, Surrey in 1872.

The school was originally built over 68 acres where 120 boys were taught in three boarding houses, but today stands over an impressive 200-acre estate, with 795 pupils, most of whom are boarders.

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