Bullied teenager to sue school

Ricky claims he has been bullied at school for the past four years

A teenager has said he plans to take his school to court for not protecting him against bullies.

Ricky Clements, a pupil at Thomas Peacocke Community College in Rye, claims he has been physically and verbally abused for the past four years.

The 16-year-old said the situation was so bad he had been driven to attempting suicide.

"You could say it's like a prison and there's no way out," he said.

"I was stabbed in the leg and the groin with a pencil.

Teased over cancer

"The worst moment was when I was crying in the classroom and I was teased about my mum having cancer - that was the worst moment which could ever happen."

Mother Susan Clements, who is now in remission from cancer, said the bullying Ricky suffered made her recovery from chemotherapy harder.

She said: "I was lying in bed and my son came home and he had a fractured cheekbone, black eye and fat lip where he had been punched."

Acting headteacher Mike Conn said violence was not tolerated

Mrs Clements said the school had made little response to the family's pleas for help.

She said it was too late for the school to take action now and that the courts would decide how to compensate her son.

"I've been telling them the problem for four years and they've done absolutely nothing and they are going to pay," she said.

The headteacher at Thomas Peacocke left before Easter and an acting headteacher, Mike Conn, has been brought in as an interim replacement.

Mr Conn said: "I can't say very much, particularly because the parents are exercising their right - and it's quite right for them to do so - to pursue a legal action.

"All I can say is really in terms of the school's policy, we do not tolerate violence at this school and it would be dealt with properly."