Allegations that four boys from Eton College attacked a 13-year-old girl on the school’s playing fields are to be investigated by police.

A group of boys aged 13 and 14 who reportedly called themselves “The Posse” are alleged to have stolen the girl’s handbag and asked her to perform a sex act last Saturday evening.

Detectives said they would interview the parents of some of the boys involved after spending an hour with Anthony Little, the head master, yesterday to discuss the incident.

The girl at the centre of the allegations was also reported to have been called to a meeting yesterday between her parents and Mr Little.

Police first became aware of the allegations on Thursday morning after receiving calls from the media.

Chief Superintendent Jim Templer, acting Commander for Windsor and Maidenhead Police, said: “We have spoken to a senior member of staff and are satisfied, given the circumstances known at this time, that the college has and continues to carry out a thorough investigation following an alleged incident on Saturday March 8.

“In addition to their investigation, we are in the process of making contact with parents of some of the teenagers involved, and are working closely with the college to establish whether any criminal offences have occurred.”

The identities of those involved in the alleged incident cannot be revealed for legal reasons. It is believed that the girl’s boyfriend raised the matter with school’s staff.

Some of the boys have told friends that the allegations have been exaggerated and that they expect to be cleared of all wrongdoing.

It is claimed that a group of boys had been drinking heavily and possibly using drugs before the girl was attacked in the playing fields.

Some witnesses have claimed that her handbag was stolen and that during a struggle to retrieve it she fell and hurt or broke her ribs. It has also been alleged that one of the boys asked the girl to carry out a sex act.

However, in a critical response to a report of the allegations on Times Online yesterday one reader gave a different account of the incident. “In truth he was with his girlfriend, and the incident of the girl with a broken rib was an entirely different spectacle,” he said. “These boys have had their futures seriously jeopardised due to accounts that are, from the perspective of someone present, entirely bogus.”

Eton issued a statement yesterday afternoon that said: “As soon as the school became aware of the incident we began a very thorough investigation, speaking to all the parties involved, and this will go on until we are sure what happened.

“When we are sure, we shall take whatever disciplinary action is justified. Like other schools we do not comment in detail on matters affecting individual pupils.”

Sources at the £26,000-a-year boarding school, which has 1,300 boys aged between 13 and 18, said that it was co-operating fully with the police inquiry.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, refused to comment on the delay in reporting the allegations.

“In general the usual practice is that if a crime has been committed the head would call in the police immediately,” Mr Dunford said.

“You might not call the police immediately somebody walked into your office to make a complaint. You would go out and speak to people but at the end of these very preliminary investigations then you would report it.”

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