School boy boozers are faking failures

Pupils forgot to take off their school uniforms

Australian school boys seeking an under-age drink in pubs made a crucial mistake when they forged proof-of-age documents.

The photographs used in their faked driving licences showed the boys wearing school uniforms.

The schoolboys from Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, had used a computer and printer to forge the driving licences.

These were to be shown as proof that the 16 and 17 year olds were old enough to be drinking in pubs.

But the flaw in their plan was uncovered by pub bouncers who spotted that the identity pictures showed them dressed for school.

"With the person's photograph on the document, it is usually a straightforward exercise to identify those involved, particularly if they are helpful enough to wear a school uniform," said Merri Rose, the liquor licensing minister in Queensland.

Printing money

This lack of attention to detail was said to have undermined what otherwise were considered to be convincing copies of documents.

There were believed to be six teenagers involved in the forged document ring, which had been set up to allow pupils into pubs before reaching the minimum drinking age of 18.

A 17 year old pupil faces fines for forging documents of over £250.

School boys in England have also been previously involved in dubious uses of computers and printers.

Three years ago, boys at King Edward VI Community College in Totnes, Devon, were caught using a computer and laser printer to make copies of bank notes.

The forged notes, which had been crumpled up to add to their authenticity, were spent on food in the school's canteen. The forgeries were only discovered when a security firm which collected the cash alerted the headteacher.