Nicola Raphael: A suicide motivated by Bullying and Alterophobia
Year: 2001
Place: Scotland, UK
Sources:
Alterophobia, citing The Mirror - The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael - bullied to death for being a goth (16th of December, 2007)
The Sunday Herald, via Wayback Machine - Suddenly they're everywhere. Their black clothes and purple lipstick (1st of July, 2001)
Scotsman - ‘She came in one night and you would never know anything was wrong. Then she took an overdose’ (22nd of January, 2002) The Herald - Bullied pupil takes own life School taunts over Goth-style clothing leads to pills overdose (27th of June, 2001)
Kirkintilloch Herald - ‘May God forgive these bullies... because I never will’ (17th of March, 2002)
The Free Library - MUM SUES SUICIDE SCHOOL; Bullies left son scarred for life They drove my girl to kill herself I'll sue for sake of other victims. (2001)
The Free Library - Grave is targeted (2002)
Yorkshire Evening Post - Girl's frozen heart saves sick toddler (18th of October, 2004)
Note: The information seems to be a bit confusing when it comes to Nicola's age at the time of the events, being cited as either 15 or 16. The same goes for her mother's name, which is cited as being either Rhona or Rona. The information used was the most commonly cited.
Short Summary: Nicola Raphael (15 years old at the time) commited suicide after enduring four years of bullying at Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire), due to her gothic style. Her mother, Rhona Raphael, has spoken about the severity of the bullying, saying "She was called Gothic freak and zombie. She was continually harassed, at school and out of school. She received threatening mobile phone calls and text messages at night while she was eating her dinner. She and her friends would get things thrown at them in the school. It was constant. She told me she was getting hassled and ‘growled at’ - a child will never use the word ‘bullied’ - and I complained to the school.". Nicola's friends also said she had rocks and full Coke cans (among other things) thrown at her. It is understood that her suicide came a few days after Nicola and a friend (who is also a Goth) having to be escorted out of the school for their own safety. Rhona discovered her daughter laying in bed, barely breathing, eyes rolling to the back of her head. When she lifted her up, she noticed the empty pill packs. Nicola was put on life support at the hospital, but it was shut off the following day, as doctors told her mother that nothing else could be done for her. Her organs were donated and helped save several lives. Rhona has sued Lenzie Academy, not just for their role in Nicola's death but also due to the bullying one of Nicola's brothers, Christopher, suffered in the same institution. Rhona mentions that, in Nicola's case, the school was unhelpful and that the director said that "(...) if she continued to wear fashions that made her different, what could we expect". He later, according to Rhona, "(...) instructed all Goths in the school to sit outside his office and not to go into the playground (...)".Nicola was buried with a ticket for a Marylin Manson show she was going to attend, as well as a message from her mother Rhona, which said "To my wonderful daughter Nicola. Give 'em hell!!!!". Rhona mentions that, during the funeral, some of Nicola's bullies gathered there. She said "(...) I'll never forget the evil, cackling crowd that gathered at the cemetery wall, pointing and smirking". The bullies had handed out free passes to Nicola's funeral, calling it "The Goth Funeral". Days after the first anniversary of her death, her grave was vandalized (which seems to have happened several times) and lanterns and tributes left by friends and family were stolen. This article has mentions of other instances of bullying faced by alternative teens.
Place: Scotland, UK
Sources:
Alterophobia, citing The Mirror - The Tragic Suicide of Nicola Raphael - bullied to death for being a goth (16th of December, 2007)
The Sunday Herald, via Wayback Machine - Suddenly they're everywhere. Their black clothes and purple lipstick (1st of July, 2001)
Scotsman - ‘She came in one night and you would never know anything was wrong. Then she took an overdose’ (22nd of January, 2002) The Herald - Bullied pupil takes own life School taunts over Goth-style clothing leads to pills overdose (27th of June, 2001)
Kirkintilloch Herald - ‘May God forgive these bullies... because I never will’ (17th of March, 2002)
The Free Library - MUM SUES SUICIDE SCHOOL; Bullies left son scarred for life They drove my girl to kill herself I'll sue for sake of other victims. (2001)
The Free Library - Grave is targeted (2002)
Yorkshire Evening Post - Girl's frozen heart saves sick toddler (18th of October, 2004)
Note: The information seems to be a bit confusing when it comes to Nicola's age at the time of the events, being cited as either 15 or 16. The same goes for her mother's name, which is cited as being either Rhona or Rona. The information used was the most commonly cited.
Short Summary: Nicola Raphael (15 years old at the time) commited suicide after enduring four years of bullying at Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire), due to her gothic style. Her mother, Rhona Raphael, has spoken about the severity of the bullying, saying "She was called Gothic freak and zombie. She was continually harassed, at school and out of school. She received threatening mobile phone calls and text messages at night while she was eating her dinner. She and her friends would get things thrown at them in the school. It was constant. She told me she was getting hassled and ‘growled at’ - a child will never use the word ‘bullied’ - and I complained to the school.". Nicola's friends also said she had rocks and full Coke cans (among other things) thrown at her. It is understood that her suicide came a few days after Nicola and a friend (who is also a Goth) having to be escorted out of the school for their own safety. Rhona discovered her daughter laying in bed, barely breathing, eyes rolling to the back of her head. When she lifted her up, she noticed the empty pill packs. Nicola was put on life support at the hospital, but it was shut off the following day, as doctors told her mother that nothing else could be done for her. Her organs were donated and helped save several lives. Rhona has sued Lenzie Academy, not just for their role in Nicola's death but also due to the bullying one of Nicola's brothers, Christopher, suffered in the same institution. Rhona mentions that, in Nicola's case, the school was unhelpful and that the director said that "(...) if she continued to wear fashions that made her different, what could we expect". He later, according to Rhona, "(...) instructed all Goths in the school to sit outside his office and not to go into the playground (...)".Nicola was buried with a ticket for a Marylin Manson show she was going to attend, as well as a message from her mother Rhona, which said "To my wonderful daughter Nicola. Give 'em hell!!!!". Rhona mentions that, during the funeral, some of Nicola's bullies gathered there. She said "(...) I'll never forget the evil, cackling crowd that gathered at the cemetery wall, pointing and smirking". The bullies had handed out free passes to Nicola's funeral, calling it "The Goth Funeral". Days after the first anniversary of her death, her grave was vandalized (which seems to have happened several times) and lanterns and tributes left by friends and family were stolen. This article has mentions of other instances of bullying faced by alternative teens.
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