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Monday, August 10, 1998 Published at 14:25 GMT 15:25 UK

'Anguish' of bullied teenager


'Anguish' of bullied teenager
An inquest into the death of a 13-year-old has heard how she was repeatedly bullied about being overweight and unfashionable

Kelly Yeomans was called Fatty, Tramp and Slowmans by her peers for more than two years, the Derby inquest heard.

Her home was bombarded with margarine, eggs and mud during a campaign of bullying that led to the teenager taking an overdose at her house in Allenton near Derby last year.

Kelly was found dead by her father Ivan in her bedroom on September 29 last year.

Target of attacks

The inquest was told how she had 13 times the minimum lethal dosage of the drug co-proxamol in her blood after she swallowed 40 pills normally used by her mother, Julie, for a knee complaint.

Following her death, five youths were given attendance centre orders after admitting harassment charges.

Mrs Yeomans said prior to her daughter's death, eggs had been thrown at the family's home and Kelly and her sister Sarah had been verbally abused.

Mrs Yeomans said Kelly was teased at her school and had been assaulted, on one occasion having her new glasses smashed by a bully.

On another occasion her new trainers had been thrown into a bin, along with her school bag.

Mrs Yeomans said she had been to the school to complain 30 times but nothing had been done.

A few days before Kelly's death the anguished teenager had spoken of killing herself, she said.

Mrs Yeomans told the inquest: "She said: 'It is nothing to do with you Daddy, nothing to do with you Mummy, and nothing to do with you Sarah. I have had enough and I'm going to take an overdose'."

Mrs Yeomans said that although she believed her daughter was upset, she did not think she would kill herself.

Ivan Yeomans said his daughter had been bullied mainly because she was overweight.

He said: "The bullying at school started from day one from when she first went two years ago.

"They mainly teased her because she was overweight and this really upset her."

Extremely frightened

As well as the eggs that were thrown at the house, a pornographic picture of a woman and a fake £10 had been posted through the door.

Mrs Yeomans said her daughter was extremely frightened by what was going on.

The court was told that when police searched Kelly's room following her death they found a note in a carrier bag written by the teenager claiming that her mother and sister were picking on her.

Mrs Yeomans told the court: "She may have thought this was the case but all we were trying to do was to help her. I loved my daughter."

One of Kelly's tormentors told the court how he would often verbally abuse the girl because she was "odd".

She would wear unfashionable clothes and was introverted, the 17-year-old told the court.

The inquest continues.


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