Bullied girl 'not persecuted' by school, staff member says at inquest

A staff member has denied a teenager who died after a cyber-bullying campaign was being 'persecuted' at school, an inquest heard.

Schoolgirl Megan Evans, 14, was found dead at her home in 2017 after allegedly being targeted on social media with an 'I hate Megan Evans' campaign.

Her friend Chloe Boswell, now 22, said Megan did not want to go to school because of how she was treated by staff.

Chloe, who had been 'practically inseparable' with Megan since they were three years old 'saw firsthand' how she was treated each day.

She explained that a teacher responsible for behaviour management would 'pick away at her' for her school uniform.

She added that staff at Milford Haven Comprehensive school in Pembrokeshire was 'horrible to her'.

The school did not approve of Megan's trousers, the inquest heard, but her mother Nicola Harteveld said that they were from the Next school uniform range and worn by other pupils.

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But pastoral assistant Nicola Edwards said that she made 'dozens of phone calls a week to parents regarding uniform' and did not agree that Megan was being 'persecuted' over her trousers.

She said that Megan was not upset when she had been told to change her trousers and, from her records, the issue had been resolved shortly after January 12, 2017.

She said: 'It was dealt with, it was finished, it was fine.

Mother-of-eight Ms Harteveld disagreed and previously 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.'

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.'

But the inquest did hear that Megan was having 'outbursts' in class in the weeks leading up to her death in 2017, although her mother was never made aware of the problem by the school.

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 inquest heard that a photo of Megan 'smoking' had also been posted on social media, which resulted in pupils name-calling her at school.

Pastoral assistant Ms Edwards, who dealt with the Facebook photo, said she asked the child who posted it to take it down and he agreed.

She said that Megan seemed happy with how the situation was dealt with and so Ms Edwards did not escalate the incident further.

The inquest heard that Megan was told to 'kill herself' and sent a picture message saying 'die' on social media, and that hate groups had been made before they were reported to the school and taken down.

The hearing was told the 'I hate Megan Evans' group had been created.

Heartbroken, Ms Harteveld also found more groups after logging into Megan's Snapchat and Facebook accounts after her death.

The inquest heard that Megan had attended a school meeting on February 7, 2017, about a trip to France and appeared in good spirits.

A 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.

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.

Despite the efforts of her family, paramedics, and hospital staff, Megan could not be saved.

Grieving Ms Harteveld 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.

It read: 'She had a big heart and would do anything to help anyone.

'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, Ms Harteveld 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 in Haverfordwest continues.