Bullied Australian teen gets income for life
SYDNEY (AFP) - An Australian teenager was awarded record damages including a lifetime income Monday after a court found that his life had been ruined by bullying at primary school.
Benjamin Cox, now 18, was aged six when he was regularly bullied by an older, disturbed pupil at Woodberry Public School north of Sydney, the New South Wales state Supreme Court heard.
Judge Carolyn Simpson said the state had "grossly failed" in its duty of care to Cox, who now suffers from a severe psychiatric condition.
The boy's mother Angela Cox told the court her son became "absolutely petrified" of going to school, particularly after his tormentor tried to strangle him in February 1995.
When she complained about the school's inaction, she said a Department of Education officer told her that "bullying builds character".
The article continues at
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070514/ts_afp/australiaschool_070514130717
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