The Principal of a Sydney private school says there will be consequences after a 17-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted by fellow students in a cruel and humiliating “human tunnel” ritual.
The alleged incident took place on Saturday afternoon when several students from eastern suburbs private school Scots College gathered nearby Woollahra Golf Course in Rose Bay for the biannual Scots student tradition called BOB, or Boys on Beer.
Footage shared on social media platform Snapchat showed the 17-year-old boy walking through a “human tunnel” while being pushed, slapped, drenched in beer and verbally abused.
In a letter sent to 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Wednesday, the boy described feeling heartened by the invitation to what he thought was a social gathering designed to make him feel included among new friends.
“When I was invited to a Snapchat group and a school gathering over the weekend, I thought I was finally being included,” the boy’s letter stated. “One kid even told me I had to go or I’d be kicked out of a program that I was part of.”
However, that inclusion was a trap, wrote the boy.
“I was ambushed, physically restrained, and humiliated. The most terrifying part was how I was lured there, thinking I was going to have some fun and finally have some friends at school.”
According to the student at the centre of the alleged assault, he had also received “awful messages online” which had made him feel alone and attacked.
“I’m honestly surprised that it hasn’t led to more tragedies. Students feel alone, unsafe and unheard,” he wrote. “My message to anyone in a similar situation is simple: speak up, before it’s too late.”
Four teenagers have reportedly attended Bondi Police Station in the wake of the incident, and Scots College said it is “cooperating fully and will assist NSW Police in every way required.”
‘Completely unacceptable’
Scots College Principal, Dr Ian Lambert, commended the student and his family for the courage they showed in coming forward, adding that the College has been in direct contact with them over the weekend and “is providing appropriate support.”
“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,” Dr Lambert said in a statement provided to The Educator.
“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.”
Dr Lambert said the College has commenced its own internal investigation and is reviewing all available footage and information.
“Consequences will follow for the students involved, consistent with College expectations and policies, and possible outcomes include expulsion,” Dr Lambert said. “Representative opportunities in sport, leadership, and co-curricular programs for those involved will also be reviewed.”
Dr Lambert added that the behaviour shown by the offending students “is far below the standards expected of any Scots student.”
“It does not reflect the character of our student body and will not define who we are or the values we uphold.”