Daily London
The Scots College principal is considering expelling students allegedly involved in luring a 17-year-old boy to a park and forcing him to walk through a human tunnel while being assaulted in a “coming of age” school tradition.
Police are investigating the alleged assault involving a group of boys near Woollahra Golf Course in the eastern Sydney suburb of Rose Bay about 5.40pm on Saturday.
His mother said her son was pressured into attending what he believed was a party.
When he arrived, he was allegedly set upon by his peers and made to walk down a human tunnel twice in what his mother said was a biannual tradition among year 10 to 12 boys at the school dubbed “Bob 2025”.
“They handed him a flag, and they ridiculed him. Poured beer over his hair, pulled his shirt, the beer was burning his eyes, pulled his shoulders, there are bruises all over him, and just absolutely humiliated him,” she told Ben Fordham’s 2GB breakfast show today.
“They were laughing and taunting him, calling him disgusting names that I don’t think he will ever forget.”
She said her son made sure not to fall over in the tunnel as he feared he would never get back up.
Footage of the incident showed the 17-year-old walking through the tunnel while he was slapped and hit, yelled at, his shirt was pulled in all directions, and beer was poured over him.
He managed to run away but was chased by some boys until a nearby woman who witnessed what happened took him to her house.
There, he called his mother and the police.
“When you get a phone call when you’re at work with your son screaming and telling you what had happened? To be honest, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Police said they were told a group of boys had allegedly assaulted the 17-year-old boy.
“Officers attached to Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command have commenced an investigation after a 17-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted at a sports ground in Manion Ave, Rose Bay,” a police spokesperson said.
“The boy sustained no injuries.”
The Scots College, a Presbyterian day and boarding school for prep to year 12 boys, describes itself as an “Australian school that defends the honourable traditions, adventures and learning of boys”.
It is deemed one of the country’s oldest and most exclusive boys’ schools, with fees for year 12 students exceeding $46,000 a year.
Principal Ian Lambert said he was “disappointed and disgusted” with the alleged actions.
“The conduct that has been reported, and which appears in video evidence, is completely unacceptable and stands in direct opposition to the values of The Scots College,” he said in a statement.
“I am disappointed and disgusted. The fact that the incident occurred off campus and outside school hours does not lessen its seriousness. Behaviour of this nature is never tolerated at Scots.
“It does not reflect the character of our student body and will not define who we are or the values we uphold.”
Lambert said he is conducting an internal investigation and will take action against the students involved, including expulsion.
The school is also providing support for the 17-year-old affected and his family and helping police with their investigation.
“The college will not make further comment while the NSW Police investigation or the college investigation is ongoing,” Lambert said.
