California Teen 'Tortured' by Belief That Friends Sexually Assaulted Her Before Hanging Herself

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><iframe height="221" id="kaltura_player_1365864740" src="http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/kwidget/wid/0_gseyb9wo/uiconf_id/3775332/st_cache/32738?referer=http://abcnews.go.com/International/video/canadian-teen-hangs-alleged-gang-rape-18926952&autoPlay=false&addThis.playerSize=392x221&freeWheel.siteSectionId=nws_offsite&closedCaptionActive=true&" style="border: 0px solid #ffffff;" width="392">Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames.</iframe> <div style="font-size: x-small; margin-top: 0; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">Canadian Teen Hangs Herself After Alleged Gang Rape</span><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Audrie Pott, the 15-year-old California girl who killed herself after photos of her alleged sexual assault appeared online, felt "tortured" by the experience of being betrayed by suspects whom she once considered friends, the family's attorney, Robert Allard, said today.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"We have Audrie's words that reveal just how tortured she was," Allard told ABCNews.com of her online comments.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"Over the week that followed, she was literally tortured by the knowledge that people she thought were her friends were passing around photos of what took place," he said of the allegations.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">In the week after the alleged assault last Labor Day at a gathering at a friend's house, a humiliated Pott, according to Allard, posted messages on Facebook, saying, "My life is ruined."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Allard said Pott also posted, "This is the worst thing ever" and "Those guys put 'blank' inside of me," not providing details.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Three 16-year-old boys were arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexual battery in the assault on Pott while she was passed out at a party, according to the Associated Press.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Santa Clara County police have not responded to numerous requests for comment. Authorities have not publicly identified the boys because of their ages.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"Based upon the discussions with the police officers, at least one picture was disseminated extensively," Allard said. "There was enough within that to demonstrate that a sexual assault had occurred between multiple boys."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">He added: "The guys were her friends. These were not strangers. She's known them for quite some time."</div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_1]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/abc_canada_suicide_130410_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Canadian Teen Hangs Herself After Alleged Gang Rape <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_2" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_2]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/ann_teen_suicide_121018_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Amanda Todd: Teen's Suicide Sparks Fake Fundraisers <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div class="rel_container g_4" id="rel_3" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 20px 50px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 200px;"><div class="rel_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="rel_thumb" style="line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="lpos=widget[Left_Rail_Video_3]&lid=view[Video]" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/katu_bully_suicide_120309_wa.jpg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="image_icon" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://a.abcnews.com/assets/images/icons/play_icon_35x35.png); background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; height: 35px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 5px; top: 73px; width: 35px;"></span></a></div><div class="rel_headline" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;">Teen Kills Herself After Being Bullied: Family <a class="open" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" style="color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Watch Video</a></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Pott attended the Labor Day weekend gathering at a friend's house, where as many as 10 to 15 kids were present, Allard said. Pott was one of the earlier guests and went upstairs to sleep under the influence of alcohol, Allard said. When she awoke, he said, Pott suspected that something "bad had happened."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Pott's mother was unaware of the alleged assault until after her daughter reportedly hanged herself, Allard said, when Pott's friends notified her mother that there was more to the story. She went to police after seeing Audrie's Facebook posts and phone messages about the alleged attack.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Her family has not commented but has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday, Allard said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">He said he believes the arrests took seven months because of the difficulty of gathering evidence.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"We have reason to believe the boys destroyed the evidence, at least one photograph, the messages, and the commentary, as much as possible," Allard said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Two of the suspects were students at Saratoga High School, where Pott was a sophomore, and a third was a former Saratoga High student, according to the AP.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"We are cooperating with law enforcement as they continue to look into the details of this case," Bob Mistele, superintendent of Saratoga Union High School District, said in a statement. "Collaborating with our parents, students, staff and community we will continue to work diligently to maintain a positive climate at our high schools based on respect, responsibility, and open communication that discourages cyber bullying and inappropriate conduct."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Social media has played a major role in the past year in cases where sexual assault has been alleged. <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/rehtaeh-parsons-suicide-justice-minister-revisiting-alleged-rape/story?id=18924592#.UWhR7aKG1DQ" style="color: #336699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Rehtaeh Parsons</a> hanged herself last week after a photo of her allegedly being raped went viral.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">With the recent arrests, Pott's family is somewhat relieved, the lawyer said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"After seven months of watching these boys live their lives as if nothing happened, that brings Audrie's parents some relief," Allard said. "This is very, very raw for them and just another reminder that Audrie is not here."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">Her parents eventually hope to develop Audrie's Law on cyberbullying that forces juveniles in the most heinous cases to be tried as adults.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 150px;">"She was a beautiful, young little girl," Allard said. "This should never have happened."</div></div></div>

Audrie Pott California Teen 'Tortured' by Belief That Friends Sexually Assaulted Her Before Hanging Herself

Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Canadian Teen Hangs Herself After Alleged Gang RapeAudrie Pott, the 15-year-old California girl who killed herself after photos of her alleged sexual assault appeared online, felt "tortured" by the…

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Audrie Pott, Rehtaeh Parsons suicides show sexual cyber-bulling is "pervasive" and "getting worse," expert says

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/04/12/Audrie-Pott_Rehtaeh-Parsons_244x183.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(CBS) - For 21-year-old Texas college student Anna Combrink, the suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons, the Canadian teen who hung herself after allegedly being raped and cyber-bullied, hit very close to home.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-504083_162-10016411.html" style="border: 0px; color: #024382; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">PICTURES: Mom blames rape, bullying for teen's suicide</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At age 15, Combrink was raped by a boy she'd known since middle school, and when she told her friends what had happened, she says they turned on her, posting ugly messages online and sending texts accusing her of lying about the assault.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"I never actually attempted suicide, but there was a time when I considered it," Combrink told Crimesider. "I was so depressed and felt so hopeless. I felt like a zombie walking down the halls at school, with everyone staring at me, and judging me."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In just the last five days reports have surfaced of two teen girls - <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57579292-504083/rehtaeh-parsons-update-nova-scotia-officials-reviewing-alleged-rape-case-report-says/" style="border: 0px; color: #024382; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rehtaeh Parsons</a> and  <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57579263-504083/audrie-pott-suicide-three-teens-arrested-for-alleged-sexual-assault-of-calif-girl-who-committed-suicide/" style="border: 0px; color: #024382; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Audrie Pott</a> - who both committed suicide after allegedly being raped and then having pictures of the sexual assault distributed electronically among their peers.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Their cases echo the recent <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574728-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict-judge-finds-both-teens-guilty-of-raping-16-year-old-girl/" style="border: 0px; color: #024382; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Steubenville</a> rape case, where two Ohio teen boys were convicted of rape after photos of the victim on the night of the assault went viral, with hashtags like #rape and #drunkgirl accompanying the shared images.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">On Thursday, three teen boys were arrested for sexual battery against Pott, a California 15-year-old who was allegedly raped in September 2012, and then subjected to further shame and humiliation when photos of the assault reportedly went viral. She killed herself eight days later.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Will the teens also be charged for sending photos of the alleged assault? Sexual cyber-stalking expert Danielle Citron doubts it.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Law enforcement is behind the times on this," says Citron, a professor at the University of Maryland Frances King Carey School of Law and the author of the upcoming book "Hate 3.0: The Rise of Discriminatory Online Harassment and How to Stop It."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In an interview with Crimesider, Citron said that as it becomes easier to post or text or comment on a photo, sexual cyber-bulling and cyber-stalking is becoming "more pervasive, more common, and more acceptable."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"It's not getting better, it's getting worse," she said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New York City high school junior Temitayo Fagbenle told Crimesider that when she and her friends talked about the social media postings that the Steubenville victim was subjected to after her assault, they said they were glad the case was getting attention because "things like this happen all the time."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fagbenle is a member of WNYC's Radio Rookies and late last year produced a segment entitled "<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/shows/rookies/articles/radio-rookies/2012/dec/28/sexual-cyberbullying-modern-day-letter/" style="border: 0px; color: #024382; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sexual Cyberbullying: The Modern Day Letter A</a>."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"It's so easy to just click and share on Facebook," says Fagbenle, 17. "People don't understand their part as a bystander. People think, 'I'll just comment but I'm not involved.' But in that interaction, you're becoming a bully."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Citron says that she believes law enforcement generally lacks understanding and training about the realities of how the old problem of so-called "slut-shaming" and blaming rape victims for things like how they dress or what they drank has evolved in the digital age.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That may, however, be changing. Trent Mays, one of the two teens convicted of rape in the Steubenville case, was also convicted of using a minor in nudity oriented materials and sentenced to an extra year in juvenile detention because he sent the photo of the victim in various states of undress.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Calling it 'bullying' almost trivializes it," says Citron. "What happened to Audrie Pott is a profoundly serious crime."</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anna Combrink agrees. After her rape, she says she was depressed and struggled to rebuild her sense of self, and being attacked online made it so much worse.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"It broke my heart when I heard about Rehtaeh," she says. "I know exactly what she was feeling. It's such a dark hole to climb out of."</div></div>

Audrie Pott Audrie Pott, Rehtaeh Parsons suicides show sexual cyber-bulling is "pervasive" and "getting worse," expert says

(CBS) - For 21-year-old Texas college student Anna Combrink, the suicide of Rehtaeh Parsons, the Canadian teen who hung herself after allegedly being raped and cyber-bullied, hit very close to home.PICTURES: Mom blames rape, bullying for teen's suici…

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