Christian teen crucified by bullying co-workers in UK, men face trial for assault and harassment

A Christian teenager in the United Kingdom suffered from a series of bullying acts, including having been tied to a cross, allegedly carried out by his co-workers at a shopfitting firm.

According to Herald Scotland, four men, namely: Andrew Addison, 30; Joseph Rose, 21; and Christopher Jackson, 22, all from Yorkshire; and Alex Puchir, 37, from Edinburgh, are accused of sustained bullying from July 2014 to April 2015, and are facing trial at the York Crown Court. They worked at Direct Interior Solutions, a shopfitting firm located in Selby, North Yorkshire, where the complainant had an apprenticeship.

Prosecuting attorney Austin Newman told the court that the bullying happened while the group were on field work, fitting out premises in different parts of the country.

"These counts cover what the prosecution contend was sustained bullying of a young man in the work place," said Newman, as quoted by The Telegraph. "From an early stage with this team he was subjected to acts of bullying that went beyond anything that could be described as banter or hi-jinx in the workplace."

The first incident, according to the report, happened in London, after the men went out drinking. The young man, who stayed behind and was in bed when the men returned, was allegedly awakened by Rose. Rose had a deodorant spray on one hand and a lighter on the other. The boy managed to hide his head under the duvet; otherwise, the flame from the spray would have hit his head. Addison was reportedly in the room taking pictures with his mobile phone.

Another incident allegedly took place in November 2014 in York. Addison and another man named Bruce Potter are said to have taken hold of the teenager, tied him to a chair with duct tape and a cable, and put a child's dummy in his mouth. He was taken outside the premises, then taken back inside and locked in a room.

The men also drew crosses on the boy "as a reference to his religious observance." He was also given bruises and cuts on his backside.

The final incident took place in Hull, where Addison, Jackson and Puchir allegedly mimicked a crucifixion.

"In January 2015 while the team was undertaking another bank refit in Hull, Addison, Jackson and Puchir forced the complainant onto a cross fashioned out of two lengths of wood and put him onto a square of plasterboard," said Newman. "[The youngster] was tied down to the plasterboard by duct tape. He was suspended a metre above the ground in a way that resembled a crucifixion. The crown say the acts of drawing on [the teen] were assaults and these assaults were aggravated religiously. The crown say the crosses were put on there as a reference to his religious observance."

The young man, now 18, filed a complaint with the police in May 2015.

Jackson, Rose, and Puchir admitted to the police of their involvement in the incidents but said they were just pranks and workplace banter. They denied to one count of racially aggravated assault by beating and one count of putting someone in fear of violence by harrassment. Addison, meanwhile, denied two counts of racially aggravated asault by beating and one count of putting someone in fear of violence by harrassment.