A bullied teenager could still be alive if his school handled his case differently, his principal and deputy said days after his suicide.
Alex Wildman, 14, killed himself in March last year, two days after he was bashed on the school grounds of Kadina High School on NSW's north coast.
His mother Justine Kelly has told an inquest into his death that the deputy principal Bradd Farrell had discouraged her from reporting the assault to police, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mrs Kelly also told the inquest that Alex was bullied on several other occasions outside school grounds, including several incidents of cyber-bullying.
Soon after his death, Kadina High's then principal Stephen Lowndes and Mr Farrell admitted to Mrs Kelly they should had done things differently.
"I said to them, had they handled things differently, would Alex still be alive?'' she said. "They agreed."
The inquest heard that after less than a week at Kadina High, Alex's mobile phone was stolen and nasty text messages were sent to some of his friends.
He had also been bullied at schools in Sydney, including an incident at Ingleburn High School where a knife had been held to his stomach.
The inquest continues today.
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