An Education minister has condemned reported death threats against pupils who allegedly damaged a copy of the Koran as “totally unacceptable”.

Minister for Schools Nick Gibb has said his department is working with Kettlethorpe High School in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, after it suspended four students over the incident.

A copy of the Islamic text was brought to school by a Year 10 pupil reportedly as part of a dare last week, and its cover was slightly torn while smears of dirt were found on some pages.

Headteacher Tudor Griffiths said initial investigations suggest there was “no malicious intent by those involved”.

On Thursday, Mr Gibb condemned reported death threats against the pupils, adding that there is “no blasphemy law” in the UK and schools should be supporting “British values” including “individual liberty”.

He said: “My first priority is always the wellbeing of children and young people.

“The death threats reportedly issued against the pupils are totally unacceptable.

“There is no blasphemy law in this country and schools should be promoting the fundamental British values of the respect for rule of law, individual liberty and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

“The Department for Education is working closely with the school, and I will write to the headteacher and local authority to offer my support.

“Our guidance for schools on how to manage suspensions is clear, stating that all decisions should be reasonable, fair, and proportionate.

“In circumstances where parents feel discipline has not met these standards, they can follow the school’s complaints procedure and raise the issue with the school’s governors or the local authority.”

The school’s headteacher said he first became aware of the incident on February 23, adding that the students were suspended to ensure “they understand why their actions were unacceptable”.

Mr Griffiths said: “We would like to reassure all our community that the holy book remains fully intact and that our initial inquiries indicate there was no malicious intent by those involved.

“However, we have made it very clear that their actions did not treat the Koran with the respect it should have, so those involved have been suspended and we will be working with them to ensure they understand why their actions were unacceptable.”

“Kettlethorpe High School is an inclusive school where we want all our pupils to feel safe and secure,” he added.

“Understanding and respecting each other is a fundamental part of who we are and we are coming together and learning from this.

“With the support of our local Muslim community leaders, we are continuing to investigate thoroughly.”

He said the school’s leaders had met with local Muslim community leaders, councillors and police to share the information they had.

West Yorkshire Police has been contacted for comment.

A prison inmate has admitted sending a threatening letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Rakeem Malik also pleaded guilty to making threats to kill against MPs Jess Phillips and Rosie Cooper, and sending threatening letters with the intention of causing “distress or anxiety” to both Theresa May and Ms Phillips.

The 53-year-old admitted eight offences in total during a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.

Malik, who the court heard is currently a serving prisoner at HMP Birmingham on an indeterminate sentence, spoke only to confirm his name and enter pleas to the charges.

He admitted to sending a letter “which conveyed a message which was a threat and your purpose in sending it was it could cause distress or anxiety” to Mr Johnson on or about December 6, 2019.

Malik also pleaded guilty to sending similar letters to Birmingham Yardley MP Ms Phillips in December 2019, and to former prime minister Mrs May in September 2019, and when she was still in office in December 2018.

He also admitted three counts of making threats to kill West Lancashire MP Ms Cooper in May 2019 and a similar charge of making threats to kill against Ms Phillips in November 2019.

Simon Davis, prosecuting, asked for a short adjournment to allow the Crown to speak with the victims about the impact of Malik’s communications.

“The main reason is that we’ve had insufficient time in order to canvas the views, if I can put it in very general terms, of the victims, in this case,” he said.

“Also we’ve not been able to get ourselves in a position to formulate an appropriate (court) order to address any future offending.”

Granting the prosecution’s application for an adjournment, Judge Melbourne Inman QC, the Recorder of Birmingham, said: “It’s obviously necessary for the case to be put off for a short time to enable the Crown to deal with matters outstanding.

“Mr Malik has now pleaded guilty and sentence will be passed on June 11.

“There’s no requirement for Mr Malik to be brought to court, the case can be dealt with as a remote video hearing.”

Malik, who appeared over a video-link for the 30-minute hearing, was remanded back into custody until next month.

After the hearing, Ms Phillips tweeted: “Today I hope will be some way towards a conclusion in this case in court.

“Sending massive thanks to the police and also to my staff and other parliamentary staff who are often the first to receive gruesome threats and frightening aggression.”