Police now probe bullying in suicide
- JACOM_CONTENT_ARTICLE_INFO
- Last Updated on 02 August 2012
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A 20-member prefectural police squad was put together Wednesday to question the alleged bullies and school officials to determine if any acts of bullying constitute a crime and contributed to the boy's suicide, they said.
The boy jumped to his death from a condominium building last Oct. 11. Earlier reports said his alleged bullies had him "practice" committing suicide.
Based on interviews of students conducted by the school later in the month, the Otsu board of education acknowledged the boy had been bullied, but fell short of linking it to his suicide.
In February, the boy's parents filed suit against the city and the alleged bullies, attributing the bullying to the suicide.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that 15 of the students interviewed said the boy had been forced by schoolmates to "train" for his suicide.
The suicide has snowballed into a national scandal amid reports that bullies routinely forced the boy to practice killing himself before he took his own life, and that his teacher brushed off the abuse as a joke.
The prefectural police decided they must investigate the incident irrespective of probes by the board of education or school, the sources said.
According to the police, the boy's 47-year-old father attempted on three occasions between October and December to file a complaint but was told it would be difficult to build a case based on facts connecting the bullying to the suicide.
The father said he is now ready to make his fourth attempt, having received support from many people after the case drew wide media coverage.
Meanwhile, a series of bomb threats have reportedly been made against the boy's school and the local government over claims of negligence in the case, police said.
Source Website: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/google/bully/~3/_KWaSuKIdFQ/url
