Ann Maguire stabbing: man charged over malicious communications

Tributes for Ann Maguire outside Corpus Christi Catholic college in Leeds. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PA

Police have arrested one man and charged another in connection with "malicious communications" following the fatal stabbing of Ann Maguire, a 61-year-old teacher at Corpus Christi Catholic college in Leeds.

Jake Newsome, 21, from the Harehills area in Leeds, was charged and released on bail. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday. A man aged 42, who was arrested in Port Talbot, south Wales, remains in custody.

It is unclear what was the nature of the communications and in what medium they appeared. The Crown Prosecution Service defines malicious communications as "the sending to another of any article which is indecent or grossly offensive, or which conveys a threat, or which is false, provided there is an intent to cause distress or anxiety to the recipient."

Maguire, who taught Spanish and was described as an "inspirational" teacher, was attacked in front of her pupils and died of multiple stab wounds last week. A teenager who cannot be named appeared via videolink before Leeds crown court on Friday charged with her murder.

During the court proceedings the prosecuting barrister, Paul Greaney QC, asked the judge to warn members of the public as well as the mediathat the boy had a right to a fair trial.

The judge, Geoffrey Marson QC, reiterated Greaney's point, saying that bloggers and users of social media sites were "just as much bound by these rules as the press".

"The consequences for individuals, I want to emphasise, can be serious if there's a breach," he said.

Under English law, any child involved in court proceedings is entitled to anonymity. Normally, that means media cannot name their school or college.

The case was adjourned until 11 July for a plea and case management hearing. A date for the start of the murder trial was set for 3 November. Prayers were said at dozens of churches for Maguire's family and the pupils she taught in her 40 years at the school. The Catholic diocese of Leeds wrote to about 90 churches asking them to hold the special prayers during mass.

Monsignor John Wilson, administrator of the diocese, wrote to all Catholic churches in West Yorkshire, which have a combined congregation of about 32,000. His letter praised the "great spiritual and pastoral" support offered to students at Maguire's school.

"It goes without saying, but please would you pray especially for Ann, her family and the college and local community. It is in the strength of prayer that we stand united in faith," he said.

On Saturday, delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers conference in Birmingham held a minute's silence in memory of Maguire and offered their condolences to her family