“Relentless in their efforts to demean her.”
“Persistent and vicious.”
“Aggressive and intimidating.”
These are some of the descriptions of the physical and emotional bullying Brodie Panlock was subjected to by the four men convicted and fined for their role in her suicide.
That’s them (clockwise from top left): Marc Luis Da Cruz, Nicholas Smallwood, 
Rhys MacAlpine and Gabriel Toomey. I described what they did to her in my last blog. It is a harrowing list which includes putting rat poison in her bag and telling her to take it. Four men acting in a pack against a vulnerable teenage girl.
As Brodie’s mother said today, “They drove her to the edge and they pushed her over.”
For this they were fined a total of $115,000. It doesn’t seem that much really, for what happened to Brodie.
Now in its second printing!
February 8th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Their behaviour was so reckless, knowing Brodie had already attempted suicide, to a non-lawyer it seems a manslaughter charge might have been more appropriate than a fine.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
The penalty imposed is a mockery of this beautiful persons life. She did not deserve what happened. I hope those men are reminded of their actions every single day. I hope this tragic lose of a beautiful soul enable people who are victims of bullying to seek help and support and to bullies out there, im hoping they realise that actions have consequences not only for them but the person the bullying is directed at.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
manslaughter is hard to prove (in a legal sense), however as I am unsure of the actual charges the men faced (also having no legal background) and as such I don’t want to comment on this issue…
HOWEVER, what I do want to look at is the financial tag associated with their actions and how this seems to put a monetary value on the life of an innocent human being!
by placing a monetary value to a person’s life, we implicitly limit the value of that person, and as such limit the level at which we can teach the offenders to mend their ways. These young men need to learn the TRUE VALUE of EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERSON is INFINITE.
THE ONLY thing that a fine will teach them is DON”T GET CAUGHT in the future…
The men involved need to be properly educated not only in external social behaviour towards others, but also learn the REASONS why we behave in certain ways. They need to learn WHY we RESPECT ALL INDIVIDUALS, as well as learning HOW to do this.
It is known that the stigma of mental health can be demolished with appropriate interactions, and as such I would suggest some form of community service…
while I admit i don’t have a final answer for all this
whatever the answer may be we must force these men to properly face the consequences of their actions…
February 8th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
To me this seems no different to other workplace deaths- where there is complete negligence of an employer to maintain the safety of thier workplace. I wonder if the idiots who bullied Brodie had undertaken a less subtle form of killing her (such as bashing her to death physically, rather than emotionally) would have experienced the same outcome penalty for thier actions. I suspect not.
Ironically it seems not that long ago that computations for people who sustained serious injuries in the workplace (in NSW) exceeded the combined fine of these bullies.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
I agree with all previous comments – especially Stace’s comment. Foolish low-lifes who show no respect for the life given to them or to another.
February 8th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
$115 000 is an inadequate punishment for these boys, who, according to Brodie’s family, have “shown no remorse.”
I am disgusted. They should be in jail.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:59 am
How can they become so insensitive that the rat poison was a ‘joke’ ? How desensitised to ‘respect’ are we becoming? Was she just a weak teenage girl who couldn’t take a joke? Or did these men forget that they are capable of so much more than what they have reduced themselves too?
February 9th, 2010 at 1:17 am
As Melinda has said, this is so Lord of the Flies.
Bullying has long been an issue for me, having been emotionally scarred by bullying as a child. But I think we don’t realise how much social bullying occurs – try being obese or a teen mother, and you will begin to discover bullying all over again. People not wanting to leave their homes for fear of the nastiness.
But this is shocking to me.
My heart goes out to little Brodie and her family. I can’t bear to think of the hell her life must have been, of how she must have felt discomfort just to be in her own body. The constant messages of ‘There’s something wrong with you. You’re not good enough.’ Who can live with that, and who can not believe it when you hear it again and again and again and again through your life?
I had thought people in the workplace were more protected from this kind of harrassment and psychological abuse. If it’s not a crime to deliberately push somebody to suicide, with malice aforethought, it should be.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:46 am
I bet there are women in these guys lives (girlfriends/wives/future girlfirends). I wonder how they feel choosing to be with these men… What message does this send to other men.
How do parents bring up people with such a lack of respect/values…
February 9th, 2010 at 5:43 am
For those on facebook, over 1800 members on this facebook group “Justice for Brodie Panlock:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=296035944587&ref=nf
February 9th, 2010 at 5:45 am
We have started a facebook group for Brodie to try and change legislation and bring more serious charges for these types of crime. We would appreciate any advice and people are welcome to join. Please also note it is not a hate site against the men, so constructive comments only please.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:11 am
I urge anyone who reads this and feels strongly about changes to legislation to jump on the facebook site that julia mentioned…’Justice for Brodie Panhold’. As stated this is not a hate site, purely a place to share you sorrow and get involved in making a difference to prevent this from happening again!!! It may be too late for Brodie but maybe together we can bring forward prevention
February 9th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
I would just like to know if they have shown any remorse for what they have done and have they said sorry to Brodie’s Parents for ending their daughters life.
I also would like to know how is bulling allowed to happen in a business like that.
Isn’t there a policy that should be set out in a work place to make sure that the employer looks after the safety of their staff and isn’t there a policy for occupation health and safety .Shouldn’t BULLING be covered in that policy , surely there must have been something that someone should have or could have done to have given that young girl support in her time of need. I think the Government should be doing more by doing random checkups . One more thing is that business still opened where Brodie worked if so the why isnt it closed down or under new management