A teenage apprentice mechanic in the UK has killed himself as a result of intense bullying from his colleagues, an inquest has heard.
George Cheese, 18, was said to have taken his own life after continued abuse at the hands of fellow workers, which included Cheese having his clothes burned and being locked in a cage.
A coroner heard that on one occasion, the young man said his colleagues had locked him in a cage at the garage by force, doused him in a flammable liquid and set fire to his clothes.
George committed suicide on 9 April 2016, around six months after he started working for Audi. He was was found hanged from a tree by a neighbour.
The Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford was told that no action was taken after Cheese reported the problem to his mother, explaining that his boss had simply reacted by laughing and walking away.
One another occasion Cheese's boss responded to his reports of abuse by stating, “Those naughty boys, I have told them about this."
Cheese's line manager, Simon Wright admitted to playing a number of pranks on the young apprentice, noting that he had been present during the 'fire prank' and said it wasn't as bad as it had been made out to be.
"I was in the workshop when a prank was played on George and he was set on fire. It did not go too far. We knew where to draw the line. It was not bullying."
Wright also listed several other pranks Cheese was subjected to such as locking him in the boot of a car and hosing him down with a pressure cleaner. He defended these by claiming others were subject to the same treatment and that it always ended in good humour.
Dealership manager Terry Kindeleit told the coroner that he never turned a blind eye to anything inappropriate and made it clear that Cheese was a valued employee, yet some of the 'pranks' were in response to, "George's behaviour such as being cheeky or lippy".
Kindeleit also said he believed some stories to be a fabrication after Cheese refused to make a formal complaint regarding the abuse.
Following Cheese's death the workshop has reported it was working hard to prevent future Audi apprentices from having a similar experience at their garage.
Cheese had enlisted to become an Army mechanic in February 2014 but was forced to quit after suffering stress fractures to both legs. He had applied for the job at the Audi dealership in the hope that he could still follow his dream.
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Source: Telegraph UK