A DESPERATE mum has told how internet bullies have driven her teenage daughter to the brink of suicide.

Sally Buckley is so fearful for her 16-year-old daughter Hannah’s state of mind that she and relatives are keeping a constant watch on the teen in case she attempts to take her own life.

Her mum has bravely chosen to speak out about her daughter’s ordeal in a bid to help end their nightmare and raise awareness of the damage caused by cyber bullies.

Mrs Buckley, 46, of Kathleen Ferrier Crescent, Laindon, said: “My daughter has hit rock bottom and that is heart-breaking for me to sit and watch.

“I’m quite sure that if she was left alone for a moment, she would find the opportunity to do something silly.

“Me and my family are keeping a constant watch over her to make sure she’s OK. I just want her with me all the time.”

Echo:

Mrs Buckley said her daughter’s ordeal began last winter when she fell out with another girl.

A short time afterwards Hannah, until recently a pupil at Laindon’s James Hornsby School, began receiving abusive e-mails and hundreds of friend requests from strangers through her Facebook account.

The spiteful e-mails called the shocked teen names such as “slag” and “slut”and made other derogatory comments.

The family reported the abuse to police, who investigated and issued two teenage girls with harassment cautions, warning that if they continued their behaviour, they could face arrest and prosecution.

The abuse made Hannah suicidal and she was put on medication.

It appeared life had returned to normal for the teenager and her family, but two weeks ago the nightmare resurfaced when Hannah’s Facebook profile and Hotmail e-mail account were hacked.

The perpetrators began bombarding people with vile messages, purporting to be from Hannah.

The bullies also posted messages on the teen’s Facebook page claiming she had been sexually abused and e-mailed several of her male friends from her Hotmail account claiming she was pregnant by them and posted several comments suggesting Hannah was sexually promiscuous.

The bullies also keep changing passwords for Hannah’s e-mail and Facebook accounts, leaving the family powerless to shut them down.

Mrs Buckley added: “I’m just desperate as no one seems able to help us.

“Why should my daughter have to deal with this sort of abuse?

Facebook has told the family it has tried contacting the e-mail address registered on the hacked
account, but the family believe these details are constantly being changed.

Facebook failed to respond to a request for a comment.

 

Hannah: Campaign of
hate has left me fearful
of leaving the house

DEVASTATED teenager Hannah
Buckley wept as she told how the
internet attacks had left her fearful of leaving her home.

The 16-year-old, who is due to
start at South Essex College in
September, said she no longer
wanted to go, as other students
might have seen the slurs about
her on Facebook.

Echo:

She also doesn’t want to go out
as other teenagers stop and stare
at her in the street.

Breaking down in tears, she
said: “I just feel so down and
humiliated. I feel like no one
understands and no one cares.

“I was going to see my friend
the other day and I walked past a
few people I know and they
stopped to look at me and were
whispering.I just went home
after that. I feel like everywhere
I go, everyone knows what has
happened.”

The teen said she has struggled to cope with the online bullying.

She hoped it had come to an
end last year when two 15-yearold girls were issued with the
harassment warnings by police.

However, vile internet trolls
are now using her Facebook page
and Hotmail e-mail accounts to
abuse her and her friends.

Hannah said: “As if that’s not
bad enough, some of my friends
have turned on me as well, where
they don’t believe it’s not me.”

As well as struggling with the
abuse, Hannah said she also felt
awful about the effect it has had
on her mum Sally, who has been
devastated by the bullies.

She added: “I love my mum
and she just cries all the time.
This has been so horrendous for
all of us.”