Parents of bullied 16-year-old Polish schoolgirl storm out of inquest into her death

The family of a bullied teenager have stormed out of her inquest after hearing no-one went looking for her until 90 minutes after she went missing.

Dagmara Przybysz was found dead inside a toilet cubicle at Pool Academy in Redruth, Cornwall in May last year after failing to go to a lesson.

The 16-year-old, who moved to the UK with her family from Poland in 2007, had been severely bullied by a group of girls over her nationality.

She was told she was a “stupid Pole” and did not “belong here”, her parents told an inquest at Cornwall Coroner’s Court in Truro.

Despite this, assistant head principal Lisette Neesham said there was no record of Dagmara being subjected to bullying or racist comments.

At one point on the third day of the inquest at the court, Dagmara’s father Jedrzej Przybysz and uncle Tomasz Dobek stormed out of the inquest in anger after hearing a member of staff had come into the bathroom where Dagmara was, looking for another pupil, but left without finding her.

Marie Exelby, a pastoral support manager, told the inquest she had gone into the bathroom at 12:56pm but denied she was also looking for Dagmara, saying she did not know she was missing.

She said she left the bathroom after receiving a radio call that the other child had been found.

The inquest was told earlier that Dagmara had entered the toilets at 12:14pm but was not found until 1;50pm.

Staff co-ordinator Paula Hosking said she eventually found the teenager after students raised the alarm about a toilet being occupied for a very long time, saying they feared it may be Dagmara, the Daily Mail reported.

Dagmara settled into her primary school but struggled with racist bullying at secondary school and had asked to be moved.

The inquest previously heard she told her family that she thought she had taken tablets on the morning of the day she died, but her parents said she did not look like she had taken anything and sent her to school.

Dale Collins, representing the school at the hearing, asked Ms Neesham whether that incident had been reported to the school.

She said: "No. If I was aware the situation took place I would have insisted that the parents come and speak to me.

"I would have insisted that urgent medical attention be sought. This is something that is in practice."

In a heated exchange with Ms Neesham, Dagmara's parents questioned why a conversation between their daughter and pastoral support manager Susan Kent the day before she died had not been logged on the system as she said it should have been.

The inquest heard Dagmara told Ms Kent said she had problems and was worried about her sister being bullied as she had been previously.

Ms Neesham said: "I am not aware of the conversation being recorded... My perspective would be that Dagmara doesn't say it is an issue any more."

Dagmara’s mother, Ewelina Przybysz, told the inquest she said she had a problem and added: "She does not have to use that word (bullying). She does not have to know that word... she is a child she does not have to name the problem bullying."

Dagmara had previously said she had been a victim of racism when answering questions on the social media site, Ask.FM.

The inquest continues.

Additional reporting by PA