- Dawn-Marie Wesley suicide
Dawn-Marie Wesley, 14, from Mission,
British Columbia, Canada , was a student who committedsuicide on10 November 2000 , after experiencing a cycle ofbullying bypsychological abuse and verbal threats from three bullies.She left behind a note to her family that referred to the
bullying to which she had been subjected: "If I try to get help, it will get worse. They are always looking for a new person to beat up and they are the toughest girls. If I ratted, they would get suspended and there would be no stopping them. I love you all so much."Incident
At the age of 14, Dawn-Marie Wesley committed
suicide after experiencing a cycle ofpsychological abuse and verbal threats ("bullying ") from three friends. In her suicide note, Dawn-Marie named three girls, initiating aCanadian police investigation and court case where the threedefendant s were made to stand trial for their actions.Legal Proceedings
One of the defendants was
acquitted , the other two wereconvicted . B.C. Provincial Court Judge Jill Rounthwait's ruling stated that it was clear that one of the accused had bullied Wesley repeatedly thus giving thevictim reason to fear for her life. Rounthwaite also stated that bystanders added "to the power of the bully" by letting theharassment continue without intervention.ee also
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References
* [http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/03/25/wesley020325.html CBC News B.C. girl convicted in school bullying tragedy]
* [http://www.ratsandbullies.com Rats & Bullies: The Dawn Marie Wesley Story is a documentary feature film by Ray Buffer and Roberta McMillan]
* [http://www.briomag.com/briomagazine/relationships/a0005048.html Carolyn MacInnes, "The Big Five Bullying Myths." Brimag 2004. retrieved July 9, 2007]
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