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MORE THAN TWO MILLION CHILDREN ARE BULLIED EVERY YEAR. ON THE EVE OF ANTI-BULLYING WEEK, JULIANNE FLORY SHARES HER STORY OF BEING SO BADLY VICTIMISED, SHE FEARED FOR HER LIFE

By Claire Wilson

Julianne Flory's tears blurred the words on the piece of paper she was trying to read.

"I just want you to know what a fat, evil, sadistic cow you are. I want to see you suffer as slow and painful death as possible."

Julianne was terrified, struggling to understand how anyone could be so cruel. The message, which Julianne had printed off from her web page, was the ugly climax of a two-year hate campaign against her led by a girl at her school in Chingford, Essex. What started as abuse during a basketball match ended with Julianne being bullied daily by a schoolmate who even threatened her life. The 15 year old felt desperately alone during her ordeal, but she wasn't – 69 percent of children in the UK are bullied.

"It's a serious issue," says Sarah Dyer of the charity Beatbullying. "At least 20 children a year take their lives because of it. Bullying shouldn't be accepted as part of growing up, yet many children endure it daily."

Julianne thought she could deal with the bullying by herself when it first started.

"My bully was on the basketball team we'd beaten in PE and she singled me out, calling me ‘fat' and ‘ugly'. I told her to stop, but she didn't," she recalls.

The girl started throwing stones and cans at Julianne, who didn't tell her parents because she didn't want to worry them. Instead she contacted Beatbullying, who'd given a talk at her school, and was advised to speak to a teacher.

"The school told Mum and warned the girl to stay away, but it made no difference," says Julianne, now 18.

The abuse would start as soon as she got to school, where the bully would be waiting for her every morning.

"My stomach churned as I approached the school gates – some days I felt like just staying in bed," says Julianne.

"She'd call me ‘fat' or ‘gay'. After one PE lesson I found my uniform soaking wet in a corner – she'd put it down the toilet and urinated on it. I had to wear my PE kit all day, while my home economics teacher washed my uniform. I felt humiliated, but the school didn't seem to want to do anything about it. The other pupils chose not to help me, for fear of getting on the wrong side of the bully."

Julianne became withdrawn and reclusive, spending long periods of time alone in her room after school.

"I was trying to block out what had happened, whether it was having my mobile stolen or my bag snatched. I'd tell Mum and she'd go to school to ask them to do something, but nothing happened. The teachers would tell me to keep away from the girl, but she kept hunting me down," she says.

One terrifying incident a year after the bullying started was particularly distressing.

"I was queuing for assembly when she grabbed my head and rammed it into a concrete pillar over and over again," says Julianne.

"I thought I was going to pass out, but thankfully a teacher pulled her off me."

Julianne was left with two black eyes and an egg-sized lump on her head. Although the school excluded her attacker, sadly the abuse still didn't stop.

"She'd wait for me at the school gates or scream at me if she saw me in the street," recalls Julianne. "Sometimes, when Mum and I drove past her she threw stones at the car."

Julianne's mum Debbie, 45, felt intimidated, too. She says: "The girl scared me – I didn't know what she was capable of. I could have said something to her, but I thought it might get out of control and we wanted to go through the proper channels.

"Knowing what Julianne was going through was devastating. The school seemed to brush it under the carpet. I felt helpless."

Debbie and Julianne's dad Jeffrey decided to report the abuse to the police, but were told they needed evidence. Then Julianne received that threatening online message that could be traced to the bully.

"The police were able to put in place an injunction to stop her coming near me," Julianne says. "It was such a relief. I've seen her since – I walked past her in the street – but I wasn't scared because of the injunction. She didn't say a word. After that I finally felt I could get on with my life."

Three years on, Julianne, who took up judo to boost her confidence, still bears the scars of her ordeal.

Debbie, a housewife, says: "It will take a while for Julianne to get her confidence back because that girl made her feel worthless."

Julianne adds: "When someone's criticised every part of you it's hard to get over it. But I'd never let it happen again. I now have more confidence. I'm competing for Britain in judo and I'm making a real success of my life."

What to do if you're being bullied:

• Talk to someone you trust who you feel will listen, whether this is your parents, teachers or friends.

• Try to appear confident – even if you don't feel it. Walk around with your head up, not looking down at the ground.

• If someone is calling you names or talking about you, ask them why they are doing it and tell them to stop. If they carry on, let them know you are going to tell someone about it.

• Often people bully because they want you to react and get upset, so try saying: "What you think doesn't bother me." Showing you're not letting it affect you may make them stop.

What to do if someone you know is being bullied:

• Find a quiet place and tell them you are worried about them. Explain that although it's not right, many people are bullied.

• Let them know there is help available.

• Be prepared to listen in a non-judgemental way. Rushing in with all guns blazing can be frightening and off-putting.

• Encourage them to record and report any incident of bullying. This will help them feel less isolated and more in control.

• Help them make a plan to minimise the risk of being physically assaulted by planning safe routes to and from school.

‘I wanted to kill myself'

Bullies made life so miserable for Stephen Sellers, 16, that he contemplated suicide

"I was five when some lads rounded on me at school in south Wales, and started calling me ‘fatty'. Their words hurt, but I refused to cry.

They started bullying me on a daily basis, and that included hitting and punching me. They cornered me after school one night and kicked and punched me for about half an hour. I tried to shield myself but they were too strong, and I was badly bruised.

I didn't say anything to Mum at first – I thought she'd think I was weak. But we were at my gran's house one day when I was seven and I blurted out that I couldn't take the bullying any more.

The next day Mum went to the school, and they assured her they'd speak to the bullies. But the attacks didn't stop and I was scared of what these five boys would do if I complained again, so I kept quiet.

I'd get home from school exhausted by the taunts and beatings, and go straight to my room. Mum spoke to the school several times, but nothing changed.

When I was 13, I'd had enough. I took a bread knife to my room and pressed it against my wrist, thinking the pain would end if I wasn't here any more. I ran the knife across my skin then stopped, realising I couldn't let my family down.

When I was 14, the bullies started posting vicious messages on my Bebo web page – threats that they were going to ‘kick my head in'. Terrified, I complained to Bebo and they banned the bullies from my page.

When I was 15 I found the courage to talk to a teacher, who promised to speak to the boys. I don't know what he said, but they never bothered me again. I've now set up an anti-bullying scheme at school called Speak Out, and hope my experience can help others."

Stephen's mum, Dawn, 34, adds: "Knowing your child is being bullied is heartbreaking.I wanted to wrap my arms round Stephen and protect him".

"I went to the school several times, but for years I didn't realise the extent of it. At home he'd shout at his younger brother and sister, and I've since learned that's a classic sign of a bullied child.

"I'm just glad Stephen finally found the strength to speak up."

• November 17-21 is Anti-Bullying Week. For more info, go to Beatbullying.org or call 020 8771 3377.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SYRIOL JONES, JOHN LAWRENCE, PHOTOFUSION, PAUL BALDESARE/PHOTOFUSION HAIR & MAKE-UP: CAROLINE PIASECKI AT TIME, EMILY LAWRENCE