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Student's nipples burned with electric fly swatter

Published: 10 Nov 11 15:45 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/37286/20111110/

Prestigious Swedish boarding school Lundsberg, alma mater of Prince Carl Philip and many others among the upper echelons of Swedish society, has been rocked by a scandal stemming from a report of excessive bullying among the students.

”When I got upstairs, older students jumped me. They threw me down on the ground and started delivering punches,” the former student wrote in his report, according to daily Expressen.

The boy who filed the complaint finished secondary school at Lundsberg, located in Värmland county in western Sweden, a few years ago.

But during the summer he decided to file a report about what goes on at the boarding school to the Swedish School Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen).

”The staff and the principal knew then, and still know, that these things occurs - but they do nothing to stop it,” the former pupil wrote.

His report describes being beaten after failing to bow when leaving a room; of younger students' rooms being checked with a cotton swab for cleanliness; and of being forced to do push-ups while older students kept watch, holding baseball bats.

On one occasion, some of the older students acquired electric fly swatters following an excursion to Ikea which they subsequently used to burn the boy's nipples with as punishment for some other alleged infraction.

”We have recently found out about this and I can't comment on it at present, as an internal investigation is being carried out,” pricipal Staffan Hörnberg told Expressen regarding the fly swatter incident.

However, others close to the school confirmed to the paper that staff have been aware of untoward things happening within the different dormitories at the school and that staff and students have been told not to talk to anyone outside the school about it.

The mother of a former student told the paper that the students feel they shouldn't betray the school, even to their parents.

”These boys will reveal nothing. That's the culture at that place,” she said.

Founded in 1896, Lundsberg was inspired by British boarding school tradition and currently has an enrollment of around 200 students, around 60 percent of which are boys.

Hörnberg admitted to the inspectorate that a dormitory supervisor had failed in his responsibilities, allowing some of these violations to take place.

But he denied to Expressen having had any knowledge of the incidents before the report.

”We are treating this very seriously. We have made extremely thorough investigations and have taken forceful steps to combat the problem. I will not accept that these violations occur,” he said to Expressen.

Rebecca Martin (news@thelocal.se/+46 8 656 6513)

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16:49 November 10, 2011 by jvtx3232
Sort of reminiscent of that movie "Ondskan."
17:24 November 10, 2011 by spy
I don't know what the fuss is all about, it just sounds like a little Public School tomfoolery to me. After all, it's not as if he was buggered.
18:04 November 10, 2011 by Grokh
if the principal didnt knew what was going on then he is horrible at his job and should be fired, if he knew then he should be fired, and to be honest kids that torture people like that should be locked away to learn that there are consequences even in sweden.
18:10 November 10, 2011 by HYBRED
The boy shouldn't complain. There are people that pay good money for that treatment.
18:19 November 10, 2011 by Shibumi
Any one who does not know (and therefore should assume) that teenagers left without supervision will abuse one another in the quest to dominate rather than be dominated has never opened a book nor read a newspaper. Such blindness is unforgivable in people whose profession is to work with children.
19:15 November 10, 2011 by engagebrain
So this is how the 1% are groomed to thrash the 99%.
20:10 November 10, 2011 by Frobobbles
This is only part of the tradition this school has copied straight from it's british original
21:37 November 10, 2011 by Tanskalainen
Scorched nipples! Where do I enrole?
22:01 November 10, 2011 by dizzymoe33
This is what happens when children are coddled and made to be responsible for their actions. I don't believe in child abuse but a swat on the butt does wonders now and then.
23:56 November 10, 2011 by StuartM
Disgusting but perhaps not surprising. This is how rich scum have always behaved. They clearly think they have some god-given right to rule over and oppress the weak.
06:28 November 11, 2011 by sniper11
As a former student at Lundsberg, 1949 to 1953, I can tell you, that this practice has been going on for very long time. In the long run it will form a pretty good character.
08:46 November 11, 2011 by zooeden
I thought only immigrants did this!!!

Sniper, like your name says, you are an absolute creep!!!
09:07 November 11, 2011 by spy
@StuartM

You clearly have an inferiority complex, and by the sounds of it rightly so.

@zooden

You are a narrow-minded racist.

@Sniper

I agree.
10:20 November 11, 2011 by Da Goat
It is rather "unfortunate" one thinks what!

had to slip this months word in somehow.
22:49 November 11, 2011 by oldmrboston
Lord of the Flies?
13:56 November 12, 2011 by Attestupa
Why isn't Sweden leading the world in banning boarding schools ? They are there for the benefit of the parents and not the children.
15:42 November 13, 2011 by SockRayBlue
This is how feelings of superiority are born in the "upper class". Try reading "Lord of the Flies" by Fielding. Yes, teens left to themselves are quite brutal; ever wonder why they get sent to war?
03:41 November 29, 2011 by volvoman9
The first mistake was to model it after the British boarding school system. Now there's a standard to aspire to. I attended one of those and was appalled at the rampant homosexuality and the ambivalence toward it by staff and students. I'm not homophobic but the pervasive attitude was that this was normal behavior for inquisitive youth. The bullying was also rampant and largely ignored or denied by the staff. An overall unhealthy environment in my opinion.
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