The suicide of Kelly Yeomans (22 May 1984 – 28 September 1997), a 13-year-old English schoolgirl from Allenton, a suburb of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

, became widespread news when the cause was blamed on

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an ...

, to which she had been subjected by other local children.

Incident

In evidence to the court, Yeomans was described as a pleasant and friendly girl. However, she was reported to be the victim of repeated harassment and taunting, particularly about her weight. Her parents said that the incessant bullying had left Yeomans feeling miserable. Her mother asserted that she had gone to her daughter's school,

Merrill Academy Alvaston Moor Academy, formerly known as Merrill College and Merrill Academy, is a secondary school for students aged 11–16 years, located in Alvaston, Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It li ...

, thirty times to complain about the issue, but received no assistance. School officials, however, claimed they had received only one complaint. Matters came to a head in September 1997, when a group of delinquent youths reportedly gathered at Yeomans's home on several consecutive nights, on each occasion throwing eggs, margarine, butter, cakes, and mud at the house and shouting taunts aimed at Yeomans. Her mother later said that the incident prompted Yeomans to tell her family, "It is nothing to do with you Daddy, nothing to do with you Mummy, and nothing to do with you Sarah (her sister). I have had enough and I'm going to take an overdose." The parents said they were worried and sought help for their daughter's obvious depression, but did not believe she would carry out her threat to take her own life. However, Yeomans was soon found dead in her bedroom by her father and sister after taking an overdose of co-proxamol, a painkiller her mother used for a knee problem. After they admitted having done so, five youths between the ages of thirteen and seventeen were convicted of intentionally harassing Yeomans in the months leading up to her death. They were sentenced to attendance centre orders. For a time, Yeomans's death put the issue of child bullies and their victims into the public spotlight. In his 2003 recording '' More Jack than God'', former

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

bass guitarist

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

wrote a tribute to her – "Kelly's Blues".

Incident

References

Further reading