An Australian teenager was awarded record damages and a lifetime income May 14 after a court found that his life had been ruined by bullying at primary school.
Benjamin Cox, now 18, was six when he was regularly bullied by an older, disturbed pupil, 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.
PHOTO: EPA
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".
Her son began to have nightmares and headaches, cried all the time and developed a severe stutter, she said.
"His adolescence has been all but destroyed; his adulthood will not be any better," the judge said. "He will never know the satisfaction of employment."
"He will suffer anxiety and depression, almost certainly, for the rest of his life. He has no friends and is unlikely to make any."
When Angela Cox told the principal in September 1995 that she was taking her son out of school because of the bullying, she said he replied: "You lose some kids and keep some."
The judge accepted psychiatric evidence that the bullying was the initiating factor which led to the teenager's current condition.
Cox was awarded more than AU$213,000 (NT$5,843,068) plus a weekly allowance for life expected to total more than a million dollars. (AFP)
澳洲法院五月十四日判決，一名青少年因小學時飽受校園霸凌之苦，毀了他的人生，獲判創紀錄的賠償費，且有終身所得。
現年十八歲的班傑明．寇克斯，六歲時經常遭一位心理異常的高年級生霸凌欺壓。新南威爾斯州最高法院審理此案。
卡洛琳．辛普森法官表示，此州「嚴重怠忽」照顧寇克斯的職責，寇克斯正苦於嚴重的精神狀態。
其母安琪拉．寇克斯向法官表示，她的兒子被嚇到不敢去上學，尤其是一九九五年二月那名惡霸想勒斃他時。
她說自己埋怨學校不理不睬時，教育部官員還告訴她「校園霸凌可塑造人格」。
她說，兒子開始做惡夢、頭痛，無時無刻哭喊，還導致嚴重結巴。
「他青少年時期全毀了，成年後也不會好轉，」法官說︰「他將無從得知受僱的滿足。」
「他幾乎一輩子都會飽受焦慮與沮喪所苦。他沒有朋友，也不可能交友。」
安琪拉．寇克斯一九九五年九月告訴校長她因校園霸凌要帶兒子離開時，校長回答說︰「學生本來就來來去去」。
法官採信精神病學的證據，認為校園霸凌是導致這名青少年現狀的起因。
寇克斯獲賠澳幣二十一萬三千多元（新台幣五百八十四萬三千零六十八元），終生還週週可領補償金，總額估計超過一百萬元澳幣。
（法新社/翻譯︰賴美君）
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