Minister vows crack-down after school beatings

FOUR STUDENTS from a Larnaca gymnasium were yesterday detained for police questioning after a fellow student claims he was assaulted by them.

The alleged incident took place on Thursday morning, with the 14-year-old sustaining concussion as well as injuries to his face and neck in an attack perpetrated by three 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old.

He was taken to Larnaca General Hospital where he was kept in overnight for treatment.

It is the second reported case of school violence this week. Also on Thursday morning, a 13-year-old student of the Polemi gymnasium reportedly required hospital attention after being set upon by a gang of fellow students.

The reports yesterday led Education Minister Andreas Demetriou to vow a crack-down on turf-related violence at the Paphos school.

Demetriou said he was “sad to hear of these incidents.” He added: “A private committee including expert psychologists has been appointed in order to conduct a full investigation into the situation. It will come up with suggestions on how to overcome these problems.”

Apparently, the 13-year-old got involved in an argument involving two other students which then escalated.

According to the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, he has a history of violence at the school.

His father, said he was contacted by the school at 10.30am and told to come and take his son to Paphos General Hospital’s Casualty Unit as he had sustained injuries to his head, ribs and legs.

“He told me that he had been attacked by 20 to 30 students,” the father said, adding that his son told him the school has been split into two gangs, from the villages of Yioulou and Polemi.

Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that, “there are different reasons for the violence, but it’s stupidity really. We are randomly attacked by kids from different neighbourhoods.”

At the same school, a pupil flashed his teacher last week.