A horrified mum has spoken out after school bullies tied a rope around her seven-year-old son’s neck
Distraught parent Emily Stewart, 38, is now refusing to send her boy Cody back to Ben Wyvis Primary at Conon Bridge in the Highlands after the sickening incident on May 11.
Emily and Cody’s Dad Grant Stewart, 35, say their son has been tormented relentlessly since he started the school in 2024.
They claim the youngster, who has ADHD and autism, has also been whipped with sticks.
Speaking to the Record, Emily said: “This has been escalating for a long time and Cody has tried to hide it from us, but he was only home from school half an hour that day when he told me his neck was sore.
View 5 ImagesCody was left with burn marks across his neck from the rope. (Image: Supplied)
“He explained what happened and I saw the burn marks. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“It terrified me that my child has come home from school having been strangled with a rope.
“Cody is very distressed. He even drew a picture of two children with one of them holding a rope around the other’s neck.
“This is the tipping point for me and he won’t be going back to that school until we can be sure that things will change.”
View 5 ImagesCody’s picture of the boy tying rope around his neck. (Image: Supplied)
Dad Grant added that Cody has suffered immensely at the hands of bullies despite his attempts to alert the school.
He said: “Cody has been hit with sticks and left with scratches on his back, kicked in the head, pushed in mud and was once battered by a group of kids as he lay on the ground. That left him with a gash on his knee.
“One day, we were walking past the school and he showed me a small hole at the gate where he said he had been burrowing to try and escape the place.
View 5 ImagesCody with his mum Emily(Image: UGC)
“It’s sad because Cody used to look forward to school and always picked flowers for a wee girl in his class.
“He is a wonderful wee boy and I couldn’t wish for a better son, so that’s why I have to do everything I can to protect him.
“The school don’t seem to be taking me seriously.
“I’ve been in constant contact with them but they don’t seem to want to admit they have a problem with bullying.
View 5 ImagesCody with mum Emily and dad Grant. (Image: Supplied)
“They also don’t seem to be able to deal with a pupil with additional support needs.
“So we haven’t taken him back there since this happened and we don’t know where to turn now.”
An email seen by the Record from Highland Council states they ‘can’t provide an alternative education package’ for Cody and advises that he will have to move schools or be home-schooled.
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A spokesperson for The Highland Council said: “The Highland Council takes seriously all claims of bullying but cannot comment on individual cases”.
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