Mother's heartbreaking letter to the kids who she accuses of bullying her daughter to death
After years of systematic and repeated bullying, Jessica Tolhurst took her life at the age of 14.
Her family have been left behind to deal with grief and regret.
Jessica's mother Mel has since written an open letter to the people she accuses of bullying of beloved daughter.
She blames them for the role they played in her young daughter’s passing.
"You think that your words mean anything," Mel wrote in the letter.
"You think that saying the littlest things don’t hurt. You think that it's okay to say horrible things to people, to our kids, to my baby girl."
“You think it’s a power trip to make fun of someone, to put them down, to treat them like c**p. It's not okay. It will never be okay.”
“Yet what pushed my baby chook over the edge was the fact that my Jessie got bullied to the extent that threatening messages - death threats - were actually sent to myself and my daughter.”
“They would ring her, say horrible things, then hang up. There was a lot of bullying,” Mel continued in the letter.
Jessica had been a “high-spirited” young girl until age 10, when depression and anxiety set in.
In December last year she tragically committed suicide.
Less than a month after her death, Jessica’s family stepped forward in a bid to raise awareness for youth depression.
The family also wished to highlight the devastating affects bullying can have on at-risk teens.
Jessica’s mother said her daughter's illness, which included an eating disorder, had recently begun to improve until the bullying reached heightened levels.
In the closing paragraphs of the open letter, she pleaded with would-be bullies to stop their abuse.
"I do apologise for my anger in this letter to the bullies," she said.
"But I am angry and hurt and a lot of other things. Love is the key: please just love one another."
If you or a loved one need to talk to someone, please consider calling Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
News break – August 31
