A mother found her 11 year-old son who was driven to suicide because of bullies at his school. Thomas Thompson took an overdose of painkillers after other pupils picked on him because he was clever and well-spoken, she said.
Sandra Thompson found her son in his bedroom when she returned home from work in the evening. Her partner, Geoff Clarke, tried to resuscitate the youngster while paramedics were called, but he had suffered a fatal heart attack. Thomas is believed to be the youngest child to take his own life because of alleged bullying. Coming so soon after similar cases, his death will add fuel to the debate over what to do about the bullying problem.
Miss Thompson, a shop assistant, said her son's ordeal began at Riverside Primary School near their home in Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside.
It was thought the situation might have eased last September when he started his secondary education at Wallasey School in nearby Moreton, but the bullying continued. His 33-year-old mother, who also has an eight-year-old daughter, Alexandra, said: "He told me how they got at him every day - trying to strangle him with his tie, poking him.
"It was like torture. They'd call him names like 'gay boy' and 'fatso'. He didn't really fit in with other boys his age.
"He was extremely clever and loved reading and doing his schoolwork. So they teased and tormented him relentlessly - just because he was a bit different. These bullies killed my son."
Bullies