THIS is the face of "loner" Stephen Jackley, who has been identified as the University of Worcester student whose arrest in the US led to a bomb scare at the St John's campus.

The 22-year-old was held in the state of Vermont after trying to buy a gun using a fake ID. Detectives, who found a University of Worcester identity card on him, called West Mercia police and asked them to search his room at the St John's campus. While they were there on Friday they found a suspicious package on the campus. They evacuated an area of the university and called in army bomb disposal experts. It was established the device was harmless. Yesterday Jackley - originally from Sidmouth, Devon - was described as a "loner" who hardly ever socialised.

His mother declined to comment at their seaside home and curtains were pulled down over windows, some of which featured Ban the Bomb and Nuclear Power No Thanks stickers.

But neighbours said the Jackley family were "very quiet" and the father, Peter Jackley, died about a year ago.

"He was a very quiet lad, I have only seen him half a dozen times in all the years they have lived there," said one woman, who did not want to be named.

"He used to spend a lot of time in the house. 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.

"You never saw him out socialising."

US police said Jackley attempted to buy the firearm from a store in Waterbury, Washington County, for a £100 bet.

Vermont's senior police officer Robert Lucas said: "When realising it was fake ID, the store owner called the police department and Mr Jackley fled the building, got into a vehicle and in the process of exiting the parking lot he backed into a vehicle.

"He told me that he had been bet £100 that he could not buy a gun over here."

Police caught Jackley a mile away and also charged him with leaving the scene of an accident.

A West Mercia police spokeswoman confirmed the university incident was triggered by the arrest and said: "This person is currently being held in custody in America and West Mercia police are in contact with the investigating officers."

The bomb scare on Friday began about 2pm when police evacuated the Wyvern halls of residence - where Jackley lived - and the Bredon office block, which together house 300 people.

Children in a creche were moved to the main building and some final exams were cancelled. The military's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit were called in to examine the device, which students said was found in a skip.

By 7pm, it was clear the object was not dangerous and the university reopened. Police stressed the incident was not linked to terrorism.