Reports of human sacrifice and women screaming brought police to Ipswich bushland in May, where they discovered three schoolgirls dressed in white with blackened eyes.
The trio were rehearsing for their school's upcoming play, Shakespeare's Macbeth, in bushland at Riverview and were so convincing as the three witches that they managed to frighten nearby residents.
![Three "witches" were rehearsing in Ipswich bushland when their screams were mistaken for a real crime.](/web/20160729005704im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/e/q/g/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gqepwq.png/1469588307458.jpg)
A police officer who attended the scene told the school children they were very convincing.
A week earlier, Sergeant Ian Stephens had visited the school, St Peter Claver College, following reports of a woman screaming at the school.
![A poster for St Peter Claver College's production of Shakespeare's Macbeth.](/web/20160729005704im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/e/q/j/3/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gqepwq.png/1469588307458.jpg)
He said when he arrived he could hear talking and popped his head around the corner of the drama building.
"I could hear talking but it didn't sound suspicious and went around corner and saw someone filming and someone burst out of a door, everyone was wearing make-up," he said.
"I went to the teacher and asked if anyone was screaming, and he said yes, they were in rehearsals."
Once realising everyone was safe, Sergeant Stephens decided to play a prank on the school kids.
"We played a bit of a trick, the teacher and I burst in on the students and gave them a bit of a shock," he said.
"I shouted out 'This is the police, no one move!', it took them a few seconds to realise I was joking and that their teacher was with me.
"I wanted to tell them they were doing such a good job that they were convincing neighbours that someone had been murdered at the school."
Sergeant Stephens attended the school play last week that performed to a full house.
The school production noted the police call-outs during rehearsals in its official program.
"Memorably on one of the days an amused police officer arrived to see three witches just casually hanging out in the midst of the forest," the program read.
"Concerned neighbours had called police out of fear that there was some form of evil ritual taking place, with the terrifying figures in white, and the ghastly screams rising up from time to time!
"Very awkward for us, though our local police have a wonderful sense of humour and patience with the wacky things our media department get up to!"
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