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Our View: Troulli death decision step in right direction

Indeed it was unprecedented that a court on Wednesday found three teenagers guilty in the bullying death of 16-year-old Panayiotis Stefani who died from alcohol poisoning after a house party in Troulli, Larnaca in 2019.

The three, two aged 19 and one 20-year-old were found guilty of causing Stefani’s death through negligence after they pressured him to consume large amounts during the party.

The court will hear mitigation for the three next week so it will be interesting to hear on what grounds leniency in sentencing will be put forward as the three face a maximum of four years in jail.

These were not exactly a bunch of 13 or 14-year-olds who could not be expected to know better. At least one of them was old enough at the time to be considered an adult.

The defence may make the case that they were ignorant as to the true dangers of alcohol, or that they have learned their lesson, or that their lives will never again be the same.

These could all be validly argued and possibly all true. No doubt lawyers will also make the case that the defendants were all alcohol-fuelled. But not all drunks are bullies, and not all bullies are drunks. Bullying, like racism and discrimination, is a learned response and that is the essence of this case.

Where did these young people get the idea that it was okay to bully a person into compliance? Bullies, as we all know, are at heart cowardly and insecure, picking on others they see as weaker in order to make themselves feel better for whatever reason drives them to such atrocious behaviours.

For victims, being bullied at a young age can either lead them to becoming a bully themselves, or they remain at the mercy of more domineering people throughout their lives. Others toughen up as a result of bullying – the old societal attitude – or it can prompt yet others to campaign on behalf of fellow victims. Everyone will have a different response.

In too many instances however, bullying leads to death, either by suicide or misadventure, as in Stefani’s case. Also in today’s poisonous social media climate, bullying has moved beyond the playground and far more children have become susceptible.

There must be countless children out there suffering on a daily basis but who are afraid to speak up either because they think no one will listen, or that others will think less of them for being unable to fight back against their tormentors.

While Wednesday’s legal precedent is welcome and may prompt other victims to speak up, the fundamental lesson of treating other people with respect should be the baseline for tackling this problem at its root. It’s a tragedy of our age that people have to be policed into such basic behaviour in a so-called civilised society.

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