Dad warned school about bullying before boy, 14, was killed by train

A shocked dad warned a Surrey school about its ‘culture of bullying’ months before a pupil was killed by a train after allegedly being targeted online.

Sam Connor, 14, died on Monday after being hit by a train at Chertsey station as 50 of his horrified classmates looked on from the platform.

Sam attended the Salesian School in Chertsey and concerns have now been raised about the bulling he may have received, as it is claimed the boy was targeted by trolls posting nasty comments online.

A dad-of-two has spoken out about the severe bullying he says he witnessed by Salesian School pupils during his commute several months ago.

He claimed he then warned the school about their behaviour at the time.

The engineer, who does not wish to be named, said he watched in horror as two boys in school uniform held another boy down and started hitting him over the head with a bottle.

He intervened but was later forced to step in again after he heard another gang of boys interrogating a 12-year-old girl about her sexual history.

The engineer said: ‘I was really shocked by it all.

‘There was a clearly of culture of bullying at the school going on at the time but to them, it appears the responsibility ends at the school gates.

‘It shouldn’t take a boy dying for the school to sit up and take notice.’

Due to the school’s large catchment area and its proximity to Chertsey Station, around 100 pupils travel to and from school using the train.

Reporting the incidents to the school, the horrified dad asked why there were no staff on the train if the behaviour was so bad, calling it ‘bullying of the highest order’.

He wrote: ‘I am a father of two young children and after today would not consider sending my children to your school.

‘I think it should be mandatory that a teacher or a responsible person from your school accompanies the children on the train in the mornings and evenings, as I first had to tell a boy to stop beating up another boy on the seat next to me. This is bullying.

‘I then had the misfortune of overhearing a boy questioning a young girl of about 11 or 12 who was surrounded by other children about her sexual history. This is abuse and bullying of the highest order.’

Assistant headteacher Hayley Baumgart told the concerned father that they did post a member of staff at the station each afternoon and carry out spot checks on the train, but resources were not sufficient to permanently monitor the train.

Ms Baumgart added the school works closely with British Transport Police and South West Trains to identify any misbehaving pupils.

On Tuesday executive head teacher James Kibble said in a letter to parents that they are confident ‘bullying will not be an issue’ raised by the investigations into Sam’s death.

Mr Kibble wrote: ‘Some parents will understandably be worried about the references to bullying that have been made.

‘The police and the local authority are currently carrying out separate investigations and safeguarding reviews and we are confident that bullying will not be an issue that is raised when the reports are published.’

Police are not treating the year nine pupil’s death as suspicious and instead have ruled it a ‘deliberate act’.

An inquest was opened and adjourned on Tuesday.