Three school students involved in a prank phone call threat to kill Premier Jennifer Smith which sparked a major security threat were given absolute discharges at Magistrates Court yesterday.

Ashleigh Mofatt,17, of Harrington Hundreds Road, Smiths, William Tucker, 18, of Rebecca Road, Southampton, and Michael Whale, 17, of Middle Road, Smith's, admitted their role in the incident on November 9, last year.

Whale made the call to a cell phone owned by Mofatt's ex-boyfriend Justin Frank and left a message saying: "Hey John, this is Kyle.

"I got the documents back, back through, but it's going to take a while. I'm going to have to kill the Premier. Like that."

Crown counsel Graveney Bannister said Mr. Frank played the message to his father and they reported it to Police. The call was traced to a phone belonging to Tucker's father.

"As a result of the information received, members of the Bermuda Police Service Special Branch Department and Serious Crime Unit were notified, resulting in an immediate action plan to secure the safety of the Premier," said Mr. Bannister.

"That particular weekend was the Government's anniversary banquet that was held at the Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel and the Premier was a guest at that hotel."

Whale admitted making the call and told Police: "It was just a joke. I changed my accent. I didn't mean anything by it. I got the number from a girl. It's just someone she doesn't like.

"Ashleigh had an ex-boyfriend that she didn't like and she asked me to phone him and say something stupid and it just got out of hand really.

"So I left a message on his telephone and after that we just forgot about it. It was just intended to be a prank and I did not intend for any of this to happen.

"I want to apologise to you and your crew for having to spend so many hours over this matter.

"I also want to apologise to the Premier if the information got to her because I did not intend to cause her any harm or threat. It was just a prank on behalf of my friend."

The three Saltus Grammar students admitted conspiring to use a telephone facility for an unlawful purpose by misusing the telephone.

Whale also admitted causing needless anxiety to another by sending a false message by telephone.

Sentencing Whale and Tucker to an absolute discharge, acting Magistrate Justin Williams said the incident was a prank.

He had to balance interests of the community and that of the offender and the fact that the two were about to start university in Canada, had no previous convictions, their age and that they had shown remorse. They also had learned from it.

Mofatt originally pleaded not guilty, but later yesterday afternoon she pleaded guilty when she appeared before Acting Senior Magistrate Will Francis.

Mr. Francis accepted it was a prank, but warned that activating the emergency services could get dangerous.

He took into account that Mofatt expressed remorse when he also sentenced her to an absolute discharge.