Of course when Pink Floyd sang “Teacher, leave them kids alone” in Brick in the Wall, the message in the lyrics was about thought control, sarcasm and bullying by teachers and not that teachers should leave children to their own, sometimes nasty, devices while not in the classrooms but still in their care.

Bullying in schools by children rears its nasty head every so often, but it seems that some schools have still not appreciated the extreme damage that can be caused by harassment, especially when violent.

The case of Charlie (all the names in this article are pseudonyms. Criminal proceedings are currently underway), a 12-year-old boy whose life was put at risk and who has since attempted suicide a number of times as a result, had been brought to my attention while the boy was still in hospital.

He is now back home, but his parents have had to bar his bedroom window and he is constantly watched. I interviewed his mother, Mary and heard a horrific six-year saga, which has severely traumatised a boy who aged seven was awarded a prize for altruism by the same school that failed to protect him.

The mother alleges that the bullying by two boys started at primary level of the same Church school, got worse after the award and continued into secondary level with terrible results.

Because Charlie had missed primary school for a while due to an operation, the name calling included that he was a “sick” boy. The harassment was so intense that Charlie developed severe migraines and became obsessed that he was really “sick”, said his mum.

He was seen by a psychologist who persuaded him that he was not sick, and a neurologist believed his migraines were due to stress because of the bullying, she added.

I asked Mary whether the school had been notified about the bullying incidents. She insisted that both she and her husband had visited the school and recalls that on one occasion a teacher had said, “Don’t tell me, I know who they are. It’s Christopher and Patrick”. That indicated that the school was aware that something was going on, she told me.

Meanwhile, Charlie had to bear the brunt of insults and his homework and books were taken from him. During one break time, Charlie was beaten with, what she described as, “elasticised worms”, which led to his angry parents travelling to the other end of the island to see the director of the school, since they believed the bullying was not being taken seriously.

The mother even contacted the Education Department about the problem, but she was told that the school fell under the Curia’s jurisdiction and she should contact that institution, which she did.

She said the Curia representative was sympathetic and advised that they should consider sending their son to another school. Charlie’s parents considered that unacceptable since they felt that it was not the victim who should move. They were also told that the bullying boys would be suspended, which did not happen, said Mary.

Then, Christopher and Patrick fell out. Patrick befriended Charlie and even invited him to his birthday party. He told him not to worry anymore because he would now defend him in the playground.

While that friendship lasted the bullying had stopped, she said. However, following another operation Charlie needed, which kept him away from school for a couple of months, Christopher and Patrick were friends again and things were back to Charlie being harassed in the school grounds during the breaks.

I asked Mary whether they, or the school had ever approached the boys’ parents. She said that she had contacted Patrick’s mother after Patrick had kicked Charlie in the stomach, which she alleges was not the first time.

She had acquired the phone number at the time the two boys were friends and had visited each other’s homes. Mary said she told her that if Patrick no longer wanted to be Charlie’s friend that was his choice, but could she please tell him not to bully Charlie again.

“I got the impression that the school must have got in touch with the parents of the bullies that time because Patrick’s mother told me that she was pleased that I deigned to phone her this time and not just reported the boys to the school,” said Mary. Adding, that she told her that she had not phoned her before because she did not have her number.

Mary later got a call from the school telling her not to contact Patrick’s mother again, which she thought the school had no right to do since they obviously were not coping with the problem.

After that, as avoidance strategy Charlie volunteered to help with tidying up the games room during the break so he could stay away from the playground, his mother told me. But one day, about eight months ago, Charlie was down in the playground earlier than the time they were called to the classrooms.

Patrick and Christopher and another two boys, who it seems the bullies were trying to impress, confronted him said Mary.

“This is the one I used to make cry,” Patrick told the other boys. However, this time Charlie decided to stand up to them and said “Well, you do not make me cry anymore”. That led to him being kicked in the groin then dragged to a part of the playground, which was out of bounds, she said.

The boys then tied him to a football post with his tie. They even told him “today we are going to kill you”, alleged his mother. The tie was drawn around his hands and his neck in such a way that if he tried to free himself he would add the pressure on his neck, she alleged. Luckily, some boys who had been watching from a safe distance came to his rescue as the bullies left.

However, by that time, his mother is alleging that Charlie had suffered brain damage through lack of oxygen and blood to the brain. He now has seizures and falls down and faints and imagines he is being followed and threatened by those boys, she said.

When they had turned up at the school, the day after the assault, the head master said he knew nothing about what happened because he was away from the school that day.

The assistant head, who was present, said the whole incident was a misunderstanding and the boys were playing a “joke”. She had also told Charlie “Why did you go and tell your mother?” Mary alleged.

That was the last straw for Charlie’s distraught parents. They said the doctors had told them that they should report the assault to the police.

After the report was lodged the school director sent for Charlie’s parents and tried to get them to drop the criminal charges. He told them “Don’t you think it is sad that these boys are going to end up in court?” Mary alleged.

He claimed that the boys were only playing “Cowboys and Indians” and said that Charlie would suffer if the criminal proceedings went ahead, she further alleged.

Although the case surfaced in court eight months ago, it still has not been heard. Meanwhile, Charlie has changed his school, with the help of the Curia. It is still a Church school, which indicated that it was the administration of one particular school that his parents had no longer any faith in.

However, Charlie’s behaviour is still seriously problematic. During a recent school outing to Valletta, he jumped from the bastions into the sea, because he imagined the bullies were chasing him, his mother told me. Two teachers jumped in and rescued him.

He has also attempted to jump out of his bedroom window at home. More recently, he again tried to jump from a window at the school.

It is sad that two boys have ended up in court, but much sadder that their victim has suffered terribly. If only the school had reacted to the warnings things would not have got so far.

The Court needs to hear this case as soon as possible in order for the parties to, at least, have some form of closure on this dreadful story.

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