July 05, 2007 08:37am
Article from: The Australian
* Boy, 13, allegedly endures six hours of torture
* Dragged to bush camp, forced to lie in grave
* Five boys, aged 12 to 14, charged
IN what could be one of the worst bullying cases in Australia, a 13-year-old Perth boy allegedly endured six hours of torture in which he was dragged from school to a bush camp, punched, bashed, forced to lie in a grave and told he was going to die.
Five boys, ranging in age from 12 to 14, have each been charged with deprivation of liberty, threatening to kill, and assault occasioning bodily harm after the "horrendous" attack at a government high school in the Perth hills last week, Perth Children's Court has been told.
Forced into male toilet
Police allege the teenager was grabbed and forced into the male toilets before school last Wednesday, where he was told that if he did not comply with the boys' orders, he would be bashed.
He was then made to run into bushland behind the school and forced into a makeshift hut.
Prosecutor John Dart told the court that the torture began with a series of "wedgies" which culminated in the boy being hung from a tree by the back of his underpants.
During the next six hours, he was whipped, punched and prodded with a nail-filled plank of wood.
His sandwiches were smeared across his face by the boys, and one of them urinated in his lunchbox.
He was then allegedly pushed into a makeshift grave one of the boys had dug for him and had dirt shovelled on top of him.
Return "to kill him"
The group told the crying boy that he would be forced to sleep in the hut before they would return at 3am the next day and kill him.
He was also threatened with an axe and made to act like a dog, crawling on his hands and knees while having abuse yelled at him.
Police said that the boy was so scared and fearful for his life that he wet his pants twice and was constantly crying and screaming throughout the ordeal.
The boy managed to run away and despite suffering bruises and lacerations to his legs, back and buttocks, walked home.
He told his mother that night and the following day police and the school were alerted.
Year 8 students
The victim and his alleged attackers are all Year 8 students.
All five of the alleged attackers have been suspended, but with the term ending tomorrow the Education Department is yet to decide how long to ban them from school.
District director David Price would not comment on whether any action was taken to find the absent boys on the day of the assault, but confirmed that text messages were sent to parents of the missing students inquiring as to their sons' non-attendance.
"The department response to this and to all allegations of this nature is one of total support, in the first instance, for the alleged victim and we've done that in considerable detail," Mr Price said.
"We're also working closely with the family of the alleged victim.
"I've worked in education for about 30 years and they would be some of the most unusual and distressing allegations I've heard in that time."
"Nothing short of horrific"
Children's Court magistrate Tim Schwass said the allegations were "nothing short of horrific" but he released four of the boys on bail.
The alleged ringleader of the group, aged 12, was remanded in custody after police said he would be charged for assaulting the boy the day after the original attack.
Most of the group will reappear in court next month.
Parents from the school were last night sent a circular regarding the matter.
Outside court, the grandparents of one of the boys said they were shocked by the allegations.
"He's come from a very good-living family right from the word go," they said.
"He's been brought up more stricter than what we brought up our kids."
The alleged ringleader's mother told reporters her son was a sweet child and that she had lost faith in the justice system.
