Box the bullies, cop tells boy
2003-02-26 22:31
Johannesburg - A Roodepoort mother is furious with a police officer who told her to rather take her son for boxing lessons instead of laying assault charges after he was bullied at school.
A fuming Mandie van Heerden on Wednesday said she accompanied her son Eon, 14, to the Roodepoort police station to lay charges of assault and verbal abuse against his classmates at Roodepoort High School.
The police officer apparently visited the school to investigate the matter. He told Eon that the case would remain in police archives for at least five years.
A certain Inspector Geldenhuys at the police station told Van Heerden the case had been withdrawn.
"Eon was told that the case would remain in the archives for five years. My child did not even know what the word archives meant!"
Van Heerden says Geldenhuys offered to give her the number of a good boxing trainer and a psychologist. He apparently told her that her son had withdrawn the case and that he was well aware of what he was doing at the time.
Superintendent Millica Bezuidenhout, police spokesperson, said Geldenhuys was new at the station and that the case had definitely not been closed.