A Midland university student arrested in America for allegedly using a fake ID to buy a gun for a dare was described by neighbours yesterday as a "loner".
Detectives in Vermont said 22-year-old Stephen Jackley was accused of attempting to buy the firearm from agun store in Waterbury, Washington County, for a £100 bet. The student's room at the University of Worcester halls of residence was searched on Friday and a suspicious package was discovered.
Jackley's home in the UK is a neat end-terrace home in Manstone Avenue, Sidmouth, east Devon, on a large estate on the outskirts of the quiet seaside town.
Yesterday the curtains were pulled over all the windows. Neighbours said the student's father, Peter Jackley, had died about a year ago.
His mother Jennifer said "no thank you" and closed the door when asked if she wanted to talk about her son.
Near neighbours, who did not want to be named, said the Jackleys had lived there for about 13 years and were a "very quiet family".
"He was a very quiet lad, I have only seen him half a dozen times in all the years they have lived there. He used to spend a lot of time in the house," said one.
"He did not seem to have many friends around here, he was very much a loner.
"You never saw him playing out in the street or anything like that," she added. "He was very quiet, you never saw him out socialising."
Students living at the halls of residence at Worcester University said police had found fake ID cards, passports and birth certificates at the flat during their search.
He is currently in US custody.
