SA Police Commissioner may consider anti-bullying laws in wake of death of teenager Libby Bell
THE Police Commissioner says bullying-specific legislation should be considered in the wake of the tragic death of Adelaide teenager Libby Bell — but the State Government is keeping silent.
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SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens says the State Government should consider bullying-specific legislation to make it easier to prosecute cases of long-running harassment, in the wake of the tragic death of Adelaide teenager Libby Bell.
Mr Stevens said South Australia could introduce a similar law to Brodie’s Law, which came into effect in Victoria in 2011, incorporating serious bullying in the Crimes Act so that anyone found guilty of causing physical or mental harm to the victim faces up to 10 years in jail.
Libby Bell, 13, was an award-winning state junior surf lifesaver and an outgoing and loved Year 8 student.
But on Monday last week, the Seaford Secondary School student died suddenly after what her family allege was a campaign of cyber bullying and physical abuse from peers at Seaford Secondary School.
It is claimed Libby was a victim of a bullying incident at a fast food restaurant last year, which was filmed — one of several alleged incidents.
Her case echoes that of Brodie Panlock, a 19-year-old waitress at a Melbourne cafe, who ended her life in September 2006 after enduring ongoing humiliating and intimidating bullying by her co-workers.
“If you’re talking about this constant attack of very low level criticisms or sniping or just continual negative focus, finding that line where we say an offence has been committed can be really hard,” Mr Stevens told ABC 891 radio.
“I think it (legislation like Brodie’s Law) is something we should have a look at just to see whether that covers off on a gap that might exist in terms of us being able to prove a criminal offence.
“Certainly that will be something I will be taking back to examine whether we can be more responsive in those circumstances where we can’t pinpoint an actual offence outside of bullying itself.”
Mr Stevens said Libby’s death was a “tragic story” and one which highlighted the potential dangers of technology.
“This is one of those vexed problems … we talk about technology and the advantages and benefits we get, I often refer to technology as a two-edged sword and this is one of the negatives we see,” he said.
“It creates this capacity for this anonymous, focused attack on individuals that a lot of us just aren’t aware of.”
An SA Police spokeswoman said a thorough investigation was being done into Libby’s death and a report was being prepared for the coroner.
“If anything criminal should come from the coronial investigation then that will be considered,” she said.
However, the State Government refused to comment on Libby’s death or the possibility of new bullying legislation.
“The clinical director of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services has advised that continued reporting of the child’s death would not be in the interests of other young people affected by this tragic situation,” said a statement from Education Minister Susan Close’s office.
In July, The Advertiser revealed half of Year 8s and 9s are tuning out of classroom activities and more than 70 per cent have experienced bullying, according to the state’s largest ever survey on student wellbeing.
The Education Department study, involving 43,000 children from Years 6-9 across 500 schools, most of them public, found the large majority of children complained of bullying at least once in a school year, while 14 per cent said they were bullied at least weekly.
Verbal bullying was the most common, while cyber-bullying increased as children got older.
In March, two parents of high school-aged children detailed their teens’ experiences of alleged bullying at the hands of other students to The Advertiser.
They said they withdrew their children from Pulteney Grammar last year because they were being physically bullied, and claim the school cannot be trusted to handle historical claims of abuse from the 1980s.
If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Kids Help Line on 1800 551 800.
To donate to the family go to www.gofundme.com/j3tc7-the-bell-family