'No pardon' for student who threw sandwich at Gillard

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File photo: Julia Gillard
Image caption,
Ms Gillard described the incident as an "act of high jinks"

A student has been suspended for allegedly throwing a sandwich at Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Kyle Thomson, 16, said he was innocent, and had hit the sandwich out of another student's hands.

Ms Gillard, who had been visiting his school, laughed off the incident as "one little bit of naughtiness".

However, she joked that she would not be giving him a "prime ministerial pardon".

Ms Gillard had been visiting Marsden State High School, in Queensland, to announce funding for cancer data collection, Australian media reported.

TV footage showed a sandwich was thrown at her, but missed her and hit another student.

Ms Gillard has sought to down-play the incident, which has been widely reported in Australian media.

"I didn't see a sandwich in the air," she told ABC radio on Thursday. "I did see half a sandwich on the ground."

Kyle Thomson, who was suspended for two weeks for the incident, joined Ms Gillard on air during her interview with broadcaster B105FM.

He told Ms Gillard he was "sorry" about the incident, but said he was innocent.

When asked if she would lobby for a pardon for Kyle Thomson, Ms Gillard said she did sympathise as it was just a "little act of high jinks, whoever it was carried out by".

However, she said that it was a matter for the school's principal.