Toowoomba teenager Zaeden Clayton took own life after being catfished by school bullies

Zaeden Clayton was a kind Queensland kid – but a cruel and humiliating catfishing prank by bullies for cheap laughs led to a tragic spiral.

Her name was “Bonnie”.

She was attractive, flirtatious and irresistible to clean-cut Toowoomba teenager Zaeden Clayton when she contacted him out of the blue on the social media platform Snapchat in August.

Within days her flirty messages to the trusting kid from a good home escalated to erotic selfies and Bonnie soon lured Zaeden into sharing intimate images of himself in return one day, during school hours.

But Bonnie didn’t exist.

She was a fake profile created by two older male students from Zaeden’s school – bullies who ruthlessly targeted the innocent 15-year-old without warning or provocation, his family say.

Bonnie’s erotic selfies were porn images they’d downloaded from the internet.

The real sting of the catastrophic plot came next.

Zaeden Clayton took his own life last year after being catfished by students at his school. Picture: Supplied

The bullies showed and shared the intimate photos they’d tricked out of Zaeden around their school – a horrendous humiliation for the teen.

Zaeden had become a victim of “catfishing”, a particularly cruel form of online predatory behaviour which is usually a tactic of criminals targeting vulnerable people online with the aim of getting a victim to hand over money.

But the schoolboy wasn’t targeted for money – his tormentors wanted to humiliate and embarrass him for no reason other than a cheap laugh.

It was the start of a tragic downward spiral for the kind and athletic boy who loved the Broncos and camping trips with his tight-knit family.

Three months later, in November last year, Zaeden Clayton took his own life.

The boy’s final words, penned in his beautiful handwriting, will stay with his heartbroken parents forever: “I am so sorry for letting you down. I love you.”

…

Mike and Tracey Clayton did everything they could to help Zaeden after the catfishing incident. Picture: David Martinelli

Mick and Tracey Clayton, and their two daughters Amadee, 22, and Mikaela, 17 are living every family’s worst nightmare.

They did everything they could to help Zaeden.

Alerted to his catfishing humiliation on the day it occurred, they immediately picked their son and Mikaela up from the school – Concordia Lutheran College – and took Zaeden straight to the police station where they made a formal complaint, though it would be weeks before he was officially interviewed.

The siblings were then enrolled at Mary MacKillop Catholic College with the hope of a fresh start, but in a relatively small city the bullies knew what had happened at Concordia and the torment and torture followed the 15-year-old.

On the morning of what became his final day, November 15, the Claytons say Zaeden was viciously assaulted in a school corridor.

When Zaeden ran into the toilets to escape he was followed by a group of students who continued yelling and throwing objects over the toilet cubicle at him.

Tracey was called to collect her distressed son at 9am.

The student who physically assaulted Zaeden remained at school that day and was permitted to go about his school day freely.

Zaeden Clayton was physically assaulted after changing schools. Picture: David Martinelli

Zaeden had been up all night the evening before, his parents would later learn, harassed by text messages and phone calls messages from a bully.

After she picked him up Zaeden assured Tracey he was OK now he was home, his safe place.

He just wanted to sleep.

Knowing her husband would soon be home, Tracey took Zaeden’s devices so he could rest and said goodbye to her son.

It was Mick who made the tragic discovery on that horrific Monday afternoon.

Devastatingly Mikaela also arrived home soon after, and desperately held her baby brother’s hands, pleading for him to wake.

‘So bloody cruel’

His parents say Zaeden lived with the opposite mentality to those who tormented him: He always helped others.

He had dreams of being a school principal, following in his mum’s footsteps into education – into giving back.

“We’d like him to be remembered as the beautiful person he was, and to know these sort of things – catfishing, online bullying – can happen to even the most kind and caring people, they can happen to anybody,” Mick says.

“The catfishing was what started Zaeden on his downward mental spiral, ultimately leading to his death.

“I don’t understand how people can be so bloody cruel.”

Zaeden and Mick Clayton.

His parents feel it was Zaeden’s most wonderful qualities – his kindness and love for helping and pleasing others – that made him an “easy target” for bullies.

“He trusted too many people,” Tracey says.

“His willingness to help and please others made him an easy target. He was such a kind and caring human being who never hurt anyone.”

Bringing change from tragedy

The Claytons are adamant no other family should go through what they have endured.

They want tougher laws to crack down on perpetrators and better education in schools.

While the police that spoke to Zaeden were “very supportive”, nothing will bring back their son.

“The embarrassment, shame and humiliation they caused to him was horrific, and ultimately led to his death,” Tracey says. “Yet we’re the ones who get the life sentence.”

The Clayton’s were also shocked to learn Dolly’s Law – cyber-bullying laws named for 14-year-old Amy “Dolly” Everett who took her life after being bullied at her Warwick school – had been passed in New South Wales, but not in Queensland.

Mick and Tracey have proposed a change to the current Queensland Criminal Code, to make “the deliberate online targeting, bullying, stalking, and harassment with the intent to humiliate, embarrass another person” a specific offence.

This would include using a carriage service to create a fake profile to obtain personal information or images, and sharing of that information or images to ridicule, humiliate, isolate and embarrass.

“From his death we should all learn there needs to be some changes made within the laws, within the education of our kids, so that we can prevent this from happening to someone else,” Mick says.

Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki with Mike and Tracey Clayton. Picture: David Martinelli

And they have found an ally in their push for “Zae’s Law”, with local Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki in their corner.

He told The Sunday Mail Zaeden’s death was “deeply felt by our close-knit community”.

“Zaeden’s tragedy reminds us why change is desperately needed to fix the system and better educate the community,” he said.

It has been more than three years since Queensland’s Anti-cyber-bullying Taskforce handed down its 29 recommendations – which were all accepted by the state government – but Mr Janetzki says Queensland kids are “still facing catfishing, bullying and harassment online – often during school hours”.

“There is no single answer, but education and legislative and policing solutions must again be on the table,” he says.

Mick and Tracey also want to see better online safety programs in schools, to educate parents and students about cyber-bullying and catfishing, and for schools to consider instigating “no phone” initiatives.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman said the government was “committed to protecting Queenslanders from this damaging behaviour”.

Ms Fentiman also said there was legislation which criminalised revenge porn and anyone found guilty of non-consensual sharing of intimate images can spend up to three years in prison.

Both Concordia Lutheran College and Mary MacKillop Catholic College declined to comment.

A coroner’s report into Zaeden’s death is expected in the coming months.

Zaeden Clayton’s death left his close-knit family in shock.

Saying goodbye

At her son’s funeral, Tracey wore a dress adorned with red love hearts, for her youngest child who had nothing but love to give.

Tracey’s voice cracks, but she will not stop speaking, as she answers what she will miss about her boy with the heart of gold.

“I will miss the way he called me ‘Mama’,” she says.

“I just so desperately want to reach out, and pull him back to us.”

Mick spoke to the hundreds of mourners who had gathered with them, to farewell their “little man with a heart of gold”. He then spoke to his son.

“Zae loved his family. He felt safe with his family. He was happiest with his family,” he said.

“You are now safe. Suffer no more pain mate.

“Rest in peace my son, we love you.”

Originally published as Toowoomba teenager Zaeden Clayton took own life after being catfished by school bullies