15-year-old plunged to her death; parents blame abusive messages on networking site
15-year-old plunged to her death; parents blame abusive messages on networking site
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Holly Grogan died after plunging 30ft from a road bridge near her home on to a dual carriageway, where she was hit by passing traffic. She was found on Wednesday night under a bridge in Gloucestershire, two miles from her home.
Steve Grogan (45) and his wife Anita (44), from Longlevens, Gloucester, said they were devastated by the death of their "wonderful" daughter, which followed the posting of dozens of abusive and humiliating messages on her Facebook wall.
Her family said in a statement: "Holly struggled to cope with the huge pressures placed upon her by the modern complexities of 'friendship groups' and social networking."
It added that they were "sure every responsible parent will empathise with our constant battle to instil self-belief and confidence in our children. Holly's outwardly vivacious zest for life was apparent to all who knew her."
Changed schools
It emerged that Holly, who went to the elite St Edward's school in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire, had been subjected to months, if not years, of cyber-bullying.
A friend, Chloe Davis (16) said Holly had moved to the fee-paying Catholic school in the past year in an attempt to escape her tormentors.
She said, "Holly was nice and had the biggest smile in the world. She always did well at school, but the other girls used to pick on her. She didn't have any confidence, that was the problem.
"Girls used to gang up on her and call her names and she didn't have anything to say back. She just froze up. They used to leave comments on her Facebook wall, calling her names."
The family statement said they had chosen the school "in the belief that the morals and values promoted by the school would provide Holly with a platform to the next stage of her life".
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