A 16-year-old, who slapped a Sandys Middle School student and pleaded guilty to unlawful assault, walked free from Magistrates Court yesterday.

Michael Keesee of Pink House Lane in Sandys initially pleaded not guilty to four charges related to the incident and expressed no remorse to Police.

But after duty counsel counselled his parents, Keesee changed his plea to guilty.

The duty counsel told Acting Senior Magistrate Edward King that Keesee was sorry for what he had done and would not do it again.

He was charged with unlawful assault, failure to follow the instructions of a security guard, failure to follow the instructions of a school principal and using offensive language in public.

The charges stem from an incident in February when the principal of Sandys Middle School heard that Keesee was looking to fight one of the students.

Acting on information received, the principal found Keesee outside the school gates sitting on a motorbike.

Keesee was invited into the principal's office where he was warned not to interfere with any students.

On February 28, Keesee entered the school's premises and confronted the student in the cafeteria.

Although a teacher stood between Keesee and the student, Keesee reached around and slapped the student on the head.

Keesee was removed from the premises but was seen about 3.30 on school premises. When asked to leave, he said: "F*** you, f*** you.'' Police were summoned and Keesee was taken to Somerset Police Station where Police told him he would be prosecuted.

Keesee said: "Yeah, whatever.'' Crown Counsel Juan Wolfe dropped counts two and three and said he did not think a conditional discharge, or section 64, was "unreasonable''.

Mr. King bound Keesee over to good behaviour for 12 months. Should Keesee commit an offence within 12 months, he will be convicted and sentenced for those charges.