Xena
19-06-2009, 09:22 PM
It was always going to happen - will this open a floodgate???
A MAN has been awarded nearly half a million dollars in damages for the "consistent and systemic bullying he endured while attending high school in Tamworth in the 1990s.
David Gregory sued the state of New South Wales after suffering years of humiliation and bullying while attending Farrer Agricultural High School in the state's north.
He told a civil hearing in the NSW Supreme Court he was abused by older students, including being struck with a broom, having his knuckles rapped with a steel ruler and being called "sterile", "faggot", "pedophile" and "Nazi".
Repeated complaints to staff were ignored, he said.
He said the bullying led to behavioural problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder, symptoms of depression and agoraphobia - a fear of unfamiliar places which can lead to panic attacks.
Justice Elizabeth Fullerton handed down a 112-page judgment awarding Mr Gregory $468,736 for economic losses and future loss of earnings.
Future therapeutic costs must also be agreed upon, she said.
"A great deal of thought has gone into the decision that I have come to. I wish you well for the future," Justice Fullerton said to Mr Gregory after handing down her judgment.
A MAN has been awarded nearly half a million dollars in damages for the "consistent and systemic bullying he endured while attending high school in Tamworth in the 1990s.
David Gregory sued the state of New South Wales after suffering years of humiliation and bullying while attending Farrer Agricultural High School in the state's north.
He told a civil hearing in the NSW Supreme Court he was abused by older students, including being struck with a broom, having his knuckles rapped with a steel ruler and being called "sterile", "faggot", "pedophile" and "Nazi".
Repeated complaints to staff were ignored, he said.
He said the bullying led to behavioural problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder, symptoms of depression and agoraphobia - a fear of unfamiliar places which can lead to panic attacks.
Justice Elizabeth Fullerton handed down a 112-page judgment awarding Mr Gregory $468,736 for economic losses and future loss of earnings.
Future therapeutic costs must also be agreed upon, she said.
"A great deal of thought has gone into the decision that I have come to. I wish you well for the future," Justice Fullerton said to Mr Gregory after handing down her judgment.