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THE father of a Bathurst teenager who killed himself after allegedly being bullied at work has told an inquest that his son had been warned “he’d pay for it” if he reported the abuse.
Alec Meikle (pictured) had just turned 17 when he committed suicide in October 2008 after allegedly being subjected to workplace assaults at Downer EDI Rail’s Bathurst plant.
The bullying included being deliberately burned and threatened with sexual assault.
Alec’s father Richard Meikle yesterday gave evidence for the second day at a coroner’s inquest into Alec’s death.
He said his son thought about going to management about the bullying but was warned off doing so by other EDI tradesmen.
Mr Meikle was asked by counsel assisting the coroner Stephen Kelly if he recalled speaking with a WorkCover investigator regarding a “sphincter dilation chart” that had been put on display in the workshop to record Alec’s mistakes.
Mr Meikle recalled the interview and said a work colleague had tried to take the chart down but another EDI employee, identified by the court as Witness A, would not allow him to do so.
Mr Meikle told the hearing that even people at EDI who weren’t Alec’s friends were concerned by the level of harassment being directed towards him.
He said there were attempts by two or three people to improve the situation but Witness A, who Mr Meikle said was the dominant person in the bullying, had “hard core mates” who brushed aside the concerns of the other tradesmen.
Mr Meikle said when Alec raised the possibility of going upstairs to talk to management about what was allegedly occurring, he was told it was a waste of time.
He was told: “[Witness A] is in charge. If you tell tales you will pay for it.”
Mr Meikle said his son was told in no uncertain terms that speaking to management was the wrong thing to do.
He was told it would make his life a “living hell”, even worse than it had already been. He believed them, Mr Meikle said.
The hearing continues today.
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