British teen driven to suicide over gay taunts

British police are investigating the suicide of a 14-year girl who had been subjected to constant bullying by classmates who called her a lesbian. The body of Belinda Allen was discovered by a man walking his dog in Southwater. Police said the teen had tied a scarf around her neck and hanged herself from a tree. It is not known if the girl identified as being gay but she had suffered taunting and bullying for more than a year friends said. "I knew Belinda was being bullied, but I didn't know how badly she had taken it. On the outside she was happy and bubbly," a former classmate told British media. Students called her "a dyke" and chided her for her clothes. A friend said Allen preferred to wear dresses rather than more trendy outfits. It is the second time that a student at the same school has committed suicide as a result of bullying. Last year an 11-year old boy hanged himself from his bunk bed at home using shoelaces. Following that death the West Sussex County Council set up an anti-bullying task force. But students say it has done little to curb schoolyard bullying. In December the British government told schools beef up their protections for LGBT students. In an advisory sent to all schools across the UK the government warned principals that turning a blind eye to homophobia will not be tolerated. The advisory said that students who taunt gays need to be disciplined and that if detentions and suspensions do not work police should be called in to deal with the problem. It also reminded schools that homophobia is a crime. The European Parliament also issued a declaration last year urging member states to enact laws preventing homophobic bullying in schools. The declaration was prepared by the LGBT caucus in Parliament called the the Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights. Its members are mainly from the Nordic countries and from the UK. The commitment was undertaken following the release of a report showing more than 60 percent of students across Europe had experienced homophobia in their schools.