Bullied schoolgirl fell to her death from bridge, inquest is told

ABC News


Police are going to the school where Celina Okwuone alleged she was bullied.

Florida police
investigating the death of a fifth grader who hanged herself are
scheduled to go to the girl's school this week after finding a diary
detailing how she was apparently tormented by bullies.


The diary entries are expected to be made public later this week, Port
St. Lucie Police spokesman Tom Nichols told ABC News.


"Detectives are going to the school this week to talk to students and
teachers," Nichols said. "We need to determine why this 11 year old took
her own life."


Celina Okwuone, 11, was found by her parents a
little before midnight on Thursday night.

"They went to check on her and the door was locked," said Nichols. "When
they were finally able to get into the room, they found her hanging in
her closet with a belt wrapped around her neck."


The belt was wrapped around a metal shelf which her mother tore from the
wall while her father lifted her body.


Shortly after calling police, her parents found her diary with what
Nichols were entries about being bullied.


"Inside the diary there were some entries made of her being bullied at
school," Nichols said. "To the extent of what she was being bullied
about is unknown at this time."


A letter from St. Anastasia Catholic School, where Oswuone attended, was
sent home with students informing parents about the incident. School
officials wouldn't comment, and referred all inquiries to the Diocese of
Palm Beach.

A statement from the Diocese of Palm Beach said it was "saddened to
learn of the untimely death of one of our students from St. Anastasia
School in Ft. Pierce. We grieve with the school community of St.
Anastasia and ask for prayers for the student's family as well as the
school community."

Bullied schoolgirl fell to her death from bridge, inquest is told

From Times Online
March 4, 2010

A schoolgirl leapt to her death from a bridge after being accused of sleeping with a classmate’s brother and being tormented on Facebook, an inquest was told today.



Holly Grogan, 15, a pupil at the fee-paying St Edward’s School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, had been made to feel “undermined and uncomfortable” by a group of pupils before her death, the inquest was told.

Her father, Steve Grogan, also said that Holly got into difficulties with friends after making up a series of stories. She had falsely claimed her brother had died and that her parents were splitting up.

One of her friends told the inquest that after her lies three girls had made up a condition called Holly Grogan syndrome, which was discussed on Facebook by other girls.

Her headmaster, Andrew Nash, said Holly had been caused “great upset and embarrassment” once those lies were revealed.

Dr Nash said he had later been told about “unpleasant comments” about Holly placed online and in text messages. But that was not something the school knew of at the time, he told the coroner.

He added: “Facebook is something we worry about because it is so completely outside of our control. We know that in the evening pupils can go home and write something on it.”

It was on September 16 last year that two pupils had confronted Holly with the allegation she had slept with a fellow pupil’s brother. Later that day she received a text from the host of a party she was due to attend saying it would be better if she didn’t go.

Mr Grogan said she had denied to him the sexual allegation. He added: “She said that their questioning and accusations upset her and made her cry. Her whole life revolved around friendship. You cannot underestimate how important friendships are when you are 15.

“The incident on September 16 was more a culmination of six months that Holly had felt undermined and uncomfortable by their actions and attitudes.”

Mr Grogan, 45, said that about 9.45pm on the same day Holly had “come into our bed for a cuddle”.

He added: “I got up to have a shower in the morning and my wife Anita went to wake Holly and noticed her bed hadn’t been slept in. There was a note on the desk. She wrote, ‘I don’t want to name names but I just wish people could learn to forgive and forget and be more considerate to people and let people move on’.

“I believe that it was the events of the day that tipped Holly over the edge.”

Her body was found on the A40 under Pirton Lane Bridge, in Churchdown, at about 11pm on September 16.

David Dooley, Deputy Gloucestershire Coroner, said it appeared Holly’s classmates had “set themselves up as moral arbiter on something when it was nothing to do with them”.

He blamed Holly’s death on problems with low self-esteem caused by constant attention seeking. Recording a verdict of suicide, the coroner said: “She did appear to have a real problem with self-esteem, for what reason we do not know — and that was despite having extremely supportive, caring and loving parents.

“This low self-esteem led to the lies that Holly told to her friends and attention seeking. It was clear that Holly craved forgiveness for the lies she told and the desperate situation she put herself in.

“She was, as we have heard, a very kind person and even in her extensive notes that was left, she was not at all vindictive towards anyone or gave any names. She merely expressed her love for family and friends dealing with them individually and also expressed her sorrow that she had not been forgiven by members of her school.”

Speaking after her death, her parents Steve and Anita, 44, and brother Tom, 17, warned parents to be aware of the dangers of websites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace.

In a statement, they said: “Holly struggled to cope with the huge pressures placed upon her by the modern complexities of friendship groups and social networking.

“I’m sure every responsible parent will empathise with our constant battle to instil self belief and confidence in our children. Holly’s outwardly vivacious zest for life was apparent to all who knew her. We shared 15 wonderful years with Holly and to us she will be forever young.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7050375.ece

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255500/Holly-Grogan-private-schoolgirl-15-jumped-death-classmates-sex-claims.html