According to the police, the obituary was published last Friday: a "dear friend" was missing in the "Augsburger Allgemeine", according to birth dates only 13 years old, who "suddenly and unexpectedly left us".
But the 13-year-old was not dead, and the author was clearly not acting out of friendship. The criminal police in Dillingen, Bavaria, investigated for insult and threat. It is obviously a particularly blatant case of bullying.
False death notice in Augsburger Allgemeine about a 13-year-old from # Nördlingen. Police confirm connection to cyber bullying case at Maria Stern secondary school in Nördlingen. Five students affected. Details following. @ BR24 @BR_Schwaben pic.twitter.com/67uyxRGfxU
- Tobias Chmura (@TobiChmu) December 16, 2019The criminal police have been investigating at the affected secondary school in Nördlingen for some time. Five eighth graders have been bullied on the Internet for weeks. Someone sent them links to porn and threatened them in emails, a police statement said. Since the beginning of November there have also been orders in the names of the pupils: "Mobile phone and landline contracts have been concluded and trips have also been booked."
The fake obituary now put investigators on a concrete track. The advertisement was therefore submitted by a 14-year-old who comes from the same school as the person concerned. So far, however, he has denied participation.
The suspect was searched on Friday. Mobile phones, computers and sticks are currently being evaluated. On Monday, the 14-year-old was questioned again in the presence of his parents, according to the Dillingen criminal police.
Tips for concerned parents
The "Augsburger Allgemeine" announced on Monday that it was "very affected by the incident, which is unique in this form". The newspaper worked closely with the police to investigate the suspect. Security mechanisms should now be checked in order to avoid future cases as far as possible. And: "Now that we know that the client (s) have given the wrong bank details, we also see ourselves as the victim and will file a criminal complaint."
The parents of the school concerned had already been informed by a preventive officer at the beginning of December about how to deal with cyberbullying. Parents can get tips on the website klicksafe.de
School bullying is common. According to a study by the Alliance against Cyberbullying, more than every third young person between the ages of 12 and 17 has already been harassed and tortured. The data coincide with a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation. According to this, especially pupils in secondary, comprehensive or junior high schools complain about a climate of fear. Almost every third person is afraid of being marginalized, bullied or beaten
Usually only the most inhumane cases are known, such as when a 15-year-old offered a classmate with humiliating descriptions on Ebay for sale.