Mum defends daughter after shocking school brawl caught on camera
A distraught mother has defended her daughter after video of a shocking schoolyard brawl appeared on social media.
A 14-year-old was taken to hospital after the melee, but the mother of the girl who rendered her unconscious says she was acting in self-defence.
In the sickening fight at St Helena Secondary College in Melbourne, two teenage girls violently punch and kick one another as other students cheer, laugh - and film on their phones.
The scrap ends with one girl choking the other until she collapses.
"There's a lot more information, there's a lot more facts that people are not aware of," the girl's mother told radio station 3AW.
Choosing to remain anonymous, she says her daughter has resorted to martial arts to protect herself against relentless and brutal bullying and claims Wednesday's bashing was premeditated.
In a series of text messages, one girl taunted her daughter's boyfriend and threatened to attack her.
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"You need to stop your girlfriend man she ain't [sic] loyal and I'm that close to punching her lights out," the text reads.
"As a parent, I'm disgusted, I'm appalled, I'm just horrified," the girl's mother told 3AW.
Following the fight, the school took immediate action, suspending both girls for five days.
The principal says they could face further punishment after a police investigation is completed.
In a letter to parents, he wrote: "Rest assured that the students involved are safe. This unacceptable behaviour will be issued with appropriate consequences."
The state government is also taking a firm stance of schoolyard bullying, announcing on Thursday an $8.9 million package for public schools to stamp out violence.
