Son of Hero of Ukraine was smothered with pillow while playing "TCR": police investigate bullying at sports camp in Bulgaria after Censor.NET publication
Ten-year-old Tymofii Sevriuk, the son of Hero of Ukraine Pavlo Sevriuk, may have been bullied by his peers during a sports training camp in Bulgaria, which he attended as a pupil of Kyiv's "RING" sports school. Police opened an investigation following statements by the boy's relatives.
The Kyiv police press service reported this, according to Censor.NET.
Police opened an investigation after the publication of a Censor.NET report about the bullying of Tymofii Sevriuk.
Police response
A woman contacted Kyiv police and reported that while her son was attending a training camp abroad with one of Kyiv's sports schools, other underage participants had subjected him to psychological and physical violence.
The information was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under the article on the improper fulfilment of duties to protect children's lives and health (Part 1 of Article 137 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
As part of the criminal proceedings, law enforcement officers are establishing all circumstances of the incident, interviewing witnesses and people who saw it, and assessing the actions of the coaching staff and accompanying persons responsible for the children's safety during the off-site event.
What is known about the bullying?
Earlier, the mother of Tymofii Sevriuk, a 10-year-old pupil of the "RING" sports school, told Censor.NET that her son had been bullied during the team's trip to Bulgaria. According to her, the boy was repeatedly subjected to psychological and physical pressure from his peers, including during quiet hours.
- Tymofii is the son of Hero of Ukraine Pavlo Sevriuk, who currently commands one of Ukraine's units on the front line.
According to the boy's mother, Natalia, she learned about the situation by chance from the mother of one of the children, while giving the woman and her son a lift from the bus station. Tymofii did not tell his parents about what was happening to him.
- The mother also said that the incident had negatively affected her son's condition: he developed a nervous tic and panic attacks. Tymofii is currently seeing a psychologist and neurologist and taking a course of anti-anxiety medication.
- Censor.NET contacted the woman who, according to Natalia, had first spoken about the situation. However, in a conversation with journalists, she denied this information. Natalia, in turn, suggested that the woman may have been pressured by the school's administration.
Another family's story
Censor.NET also spoke with the mother of another boy who attended the same school, Viktoriia Ahapova. According to her, her son has epilepsy and atypical autism, which the parents had disclosed to the coach.
Despite this, according to the woman, other children regularly beat and abused her son, prompting the parents to withdraw him from the sports school. Viktoriia contacted law enforcement, but no response had been received by the time the report was published.
