Teachers were ‘absolutely horrible’ to a schoolgirl who died after a cyber-bullying campaign, her best friend told an inquest.
Megan Evans, 14, was found dead at her home after allegedly being targeted on social media with an ‘I hate Megan Evans’ campaign in 2017.
The inquest heard that Megan was told to ‘kill herself’ on social media and her heartbroken mother Nicola Harteveld found more bully groups after logging into Megan’s Snapchat and Facebook accounts after her death.
Mother-of eight Nicola said that her daughter was ‘let down at every possible opportunity’ by Milford Haven Comprehensive school in Pembrokeshire.
Her friend Chloe Boswell, now 22, also told the inquest that Megan did not want to go to the school because the teachers ‘were horrible to her’.
She explained that one teacher who was responsible for behaviour management would ‘pick away at her’ for her school uniform and claimed pupils couldn’t speak to teachers about any bullying issues.
Chloe told the hearing that she was aware that Megan had previously self-harmed and had trouble with other pupils in the school.
The inquest in Haverfordwest had previously heard that Megan was having ‘outbursts’ in class in the weeks leading up to her death – but Nicola was never made aware of the problem by the school.
The school also didn’t approve of Megan’s trousers – but her mum Nicola said that they were from the Next school uniform range and worn by other pupils.
Nicola said: ‘At every opportunity she was belittled by people that she was supposed to have trust in and that were there to make her feel safe and cared for.
‘She was let down at every possible opportunity.’
Chloe, who had been ‘practically inseparable’ with Megan since they were three years old ‘saw firsthand’ how she was treated each day.
Speaking on Megan’s behaviour that tragic day, Chloe said that the teen was ‘her normal bubbly self, there was no indication that there was something wrong.’
Megan’s friend Travis Johnson, who was two years above Megan at school, said he spoke with her on Snapchat hours before her death.
In conversation, Megan told him: ‘I CBA [could not be bothered] anymore.’
Another friend, Macey Power, 21, said Megan had received horrible messages on social media.
Megan told her friends that she was ‘logging off’ from Snapchat before her death.
The hearing was told the ‘I hate Megan Evans’ group had been created.
The inquest heard that Megan had attended a school meeting on February 7, 2017, about a trip to France and appeared in good spirits.
Later that evening, her parents left the family home in Milford Haven for a night in Cardiff with her four youngest siblings.
But the four older siblings – including Megan – stayed at home.
At around 10pm her brother rang their parents after he was unable to find her in the house. He kept searching and found Megan locked in an upstairs bathroom.
Despite the efforts of her family, paramedics, and hospital staff, Megan could not be saved.
Grieving Nicola told police she had ‘no idea why Megan would do this.’
A statement from her family described Megan as an intelligent, kind, and vibrant teenager.
‘She had a big heart and would do anything to help anyone,’ the family statement read.
‘She bought love and laughter into our home and was always full of energy. Her friends adored her, and she always stood up for what she believed in.’
A former assistant head teacher at the school said she was ‘satisfied’ that anti-bullying policies had been implemented.
But former pupil Chloe said she frequently saw bullying at the school and some pupils felt they could not speak to teachers.
‘You couldn’t trust the teachers in school with things like that,’ she said.
Malcolm Duthie, representing the education authority at Pembrokeshire Council, said when friends were asked if they believed Megan was being bullied ‘all of them said no.’
He said she may have been upset by an argument with another pupil and concern for her father’s health.
Mr Duthie added it would be hard for the school to get any evidence of bullying as most of it took place on Snapchat – where messages disappear after 24 hours.
Megan was described as a talented artist and hockey player who had been looking forward to attending a Justin Bieber concert.
In the years following Megan’s tragic death, Nicola has worked to raise awareness of mental health and the dangers of social media bullying.
She has since founded Megan’s Starr Foundation which provides free counseling and peer support to young people in Pembrokeshire.
The inquest continues.