Corrine lee-Cheu suicided on September 13, her family blaming school bullying

The heartbroken Queensland family of a 13-year-old girl who suicided on September 13 have blamed bullying for her tragic death.

Corrine lee-Cheu, who was in Year 8 at Atherton State High School in Far North Queensland

The heartbroken family of a 13-year-old child who suicided on September 13 have blamed bullying for her tragic death.

Corrine lee-Cheu, who was in Year 8 at Atherton State High School in Far North Queensland, has been described as “the most beautiful caring young lady who would always be the first to lend a hand to others”.

Corrine, the second eldest of five children, belonged to the Kuku Possum-K uku-Warra Indigenous people and was nicknamed Kinny.

Her aunt Annie Fitzgerald said Kinny died “as a result of bullying and melancholy”.

“She was the best big sister to her three younger siblings and to her older brother. However, despite her family’s support, she was suffering from severe depression.

Corrine Lee-Cheu with her mother Jodie Fitzgerald and three younger siblings Tristin, Sienna and Liam. Picture: GoFundMe

“Schools tell students to don’t worry about it and walk away … they do that and then they lead to bigger problems,” she said.

“High schools must stop avoiding the issue because they don’t want to deal with it and start confronting it head-on. Corrine had the rest of her life to live.”

Ms Fitzgerald has started a GoFundMe account – which has already raised almost $5000 – to “generate finances and awareness for young teenagers”.

In July, Corrine was allegedly assaulted by children as she was walking past a supermarket.

The incident was reported to police and to the school which allegedly told the family they could do nothing about it because it didn’t occur on school grounds.

The family said Corrine was also failed by a lack of support services in the relatively remote region.

Ivy Lambert, whose younger sibling Onyx Rose Lambert suicided in July due to relentless bullying, has also claimed a dearth of support services contributed to their death.

Onyx Rose was also 13 and Ms Lambert accused her school, Beaudesert State High, of having a “toxic culture of bullying”.

Ms Lambert told The Courier-Mail on Thursday the death of Corrine lee-Cheu was “more proof government schools are failing our kids”.

Ms Lambert has had meetings with Education Minister Grace Grace and senior department officials but said she was still waiting to be told what action, if any, the school would be taking to address complaints of unchecked bullying.