by Chinwe Okafor

A teenager has died after being in bullied in class, while the pupils’ teacher watched.

Sergei Casper, 17, died of suffocation after being covered in film tape as a subject of a stunt.

He was initially wrapped in cling film so he couldn’t move his arms and legs then he was put feet-first into a toilet, after which his classmates took him back to the classroom where the teacher was seated.

Unable to move, Sergei lost his balance and fell towards the teacher’s desk, hitting his throat on the table and crushing his oesophagus in the process. He then lay on the floor suffocating as his classmates laughed in the background.

By the time they realised he was seriously injured, he was already in a critical condition and would later die.

Sergei has been reported to have been a happy and popular student until he joined Polytechnic College Number 8. It was claimed that his classmates started bullying him because of his love of the arts.

One of his friends, named Alexander, told local media: “He was a good guy, he never did anything bad to anyone and he was my friend. But the others just picked on him all the time.”

Speaking about the prank, he added: “They seemed to think it was hilarious, and then they decided to take their prize back to the classroom where although the teacher was sitting at her desk, she did absolutely nothing to help him.”

The school has denied they were aware of a bullying problem, but also added that those involved in the bullying had been expelled.

One of the students who took part in the stunt said it was simply a joke that had gone tragically wrong.

Sergei’s parents have, however, demanded to know why the teacher who was in the classroom did nothing.

Police are currently investigating the crime.

Ada Igboanugo