Garda investigation after suicide of 13-year-old schoolgirl

GARDAÍ are investigating the circumstances leading to the death of a 13-year-old girl who killed herself after being bullied at school.

It is believed the teenager took her life earlier this month after repeated incidents in and out of school in the previous weeks.

While the death is not being treated as suspicious, gardaí are probing the background as part of their investigation.

A garda spokesperson said the circumstances leading to any sudden or unexpected death have to be investigated for a subsequent inquest.

“Gardaí would normally speak to the family and people who knew the dead person and would have to establish the circumstances and cause of death,” she said.

However, she ruled out any suggestion that specific cases of bullying would necessarily form part of any garda inquiries.

It has been reported that the girl was the subject of bullying in the school toilets just hours before her death, but it is not known if the school authorities have been formally contacted by gardaí compiling evidence for the inquest.

It is understood the school has investigated the claims and has not found any proof that she was bullied.

The Department of Education has said bullying is a matter for schools themselves, which must have specific procedures for dealing with the problem as part of their discipline policies.

Students are also taught to recognise the characteristics of bullying behaviour and obey school policies on the issue as part of the Social, Physical and Health Education subject.

However, the problem remains a large one in the country’s 740 second-level schools. A recent Teachers Union of Ireland survey found that half the 1,200 participants had seen unacceptable bullying or cruelty to students by their peers in the past week alone.

But last week’s report by the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools highlighted the level of violent incidents that go unseen in areas where staff do not go and suggested anti-bullying policies should cater for these situations.

Last year’s National Children’s Office report on student councils in second level schools found that greater participation by young people in school life has a beneficial impact on issues such as discipline and bullying.