by 365Gay.com February 22, 2004

Kingston -- A Jamaican teen was beaten unconscious by a schoolyard gang after his own father stirred up the students claiming his son is gay.

The father went to the Dunoon Park Technical High School in east Kingston and began yelling in Jamaican slang that his son is gay and that the other students should teach him a lesson.  He said he had found pictures of nude men in the boy's school bag.

Jamaica is notoriously homophobic, and the home of several rap singers whose music has been the subject on demonstrations by gay activists in Britain.

The students tore boards off benches on the playground and began beating the 11th grade student while his father allegedly looked on smiling and then drove off.

"Them bruck up desk and bench and beat him up badly," one Dunoon student told the Kingston Observer. "Him get nuff lick, box, kick and thump from boy and girl."

A teacher said the gang was intent on killing the boy. 

They were like a pack of wild animals who had smelled blood and if it wasn't for a staff member who jumped on top of him, you would be reporting on a mob killing."

The staff member who threw himself on the teen to protect him said: "Me have to jump on him and shield him cause them was going to kill him. Me get a whole heap of licks, but me push him in the office and lock him in." 

Another teacher called police.

When officers arrived the frenzied students hurled stones at them, injuring several policemen and damaging police cars and motorbikes. The police eventually were able to rescue the youngster and take him to hospital.

At least a dozen students were taken to a police station but were not charged.  A police spokesperson said they were given a stern warning and released. No charges were laid against the father.  Police said it was a family issue.