US teen cuffed for disposable camera 'Taser'

A 14-year-old Connecticut student was on Wednesday charged with "possession of a weapon at school, breach of peace and attempted assault" after turning up at his Clinton classroom with a "homemade weapon" fashioned from a disposable camera.

According to Connecticut's WFSB, the Morgan High School student had opened up said camera with intention of "playfully" demonstrating on a friend that it could deliver a shock - something he'd apparently learnt on the internet.

No fellow student was actually photo-tasered, but NBC30.com reports that "the school official who confiscated it was zapped when he tried to take it away".

The boy's father, Bret Haughwout, said his son "hadn't modified the camera in any way, that he had just opened it up". He added: "All he did was bring a disposable camera, take it apart, demonstrate that if you press this button you get shocked."

Haughwout is none too pleased that his boy now faces felony charges over the incident, and insisted that the device doesn't even "meet the definition of a dangerous instrument, which is the next step down from a weapon."

Clinton police Sgt. Jeremiah Dunn disagreed, explaining: "It is considered a weapon, yes; an electronic demobilizing device is considered a dangerous weapon."

The unnamed teen was suspended for 10 days following his arrest, but remains in school pending an appeal. ®