The boy who got international attention last week after standing up to a bully, talks about what happened.

Casey Heynes became a hero to many. The 16-year-old boy gave his first interview to A Current Affair in Australia. The video has already been pulled down from YouTube, so I'll relay the content of the interview.

Heynes says been dealing with a "lifetime" of bullying abuse.

Casey Heynes, screen grab from ACA interview

"Calling me fatty and all of that and slapping me on the back of the head, tripping me, throwing water bombs at me," he says. He was even duct taped to a pole. It happened "practically every day." Heynes says an "okay day" when no one touches him or teases him. That doesn't happen very often.

He had eight friends when he started high school, but as soon as other kids started picking on him, his pals abandoned him. He was alone. He contemplated suicide a year ago. His sister talked him out of hit.

Heynes says he thinks bullies targeted him because he never retaliated. Until now. He doesn't think he over-reacted to the younger boy's taunts and punches.

"I thought the rest of them would be joining in," he says. That's why he slammed the bully to the ground, so others wouldn't start hitting him too. He acknowledges the younger boy could have been hurt. Both boys were suspended from school.

"All I wanted was for it to stop," says Heynes.

Heynes is amazed that people around the world are supporting him. There are at least four Facebook pages with more than 200,000 fans. YouTube videos have gotten hundreds of thousands of comments, with the majority of them supporting him. Many people saying, "Casey you're my hero" because they went through bullying as a kid too. Some video remakes feature him as a super hero, calling him "the punisher" or depicting him with green skin like the Incredible Hulk.

Does he consider himself to be a super hero?

"No," Heynes says. "I wish I was."

He also has advice to other kids who are picked on and bullied in school.

"Look for the good days, keep your chin up, and school ain't gonna last forever," he says.

The younger, smaller boy who started the fight is also talking. Ritchard Gale was on Australian TV, telling his side of the story. Gale says that the video the world saw doesn’t tell the whole story. He claims he was victimized by Heynes first.

When asked to apologize for his role in the incident, he said he wouldn't

"He abused me," says told another reporter for A Current Affair. The reporter asked what Heynes said.

"Get to class you idiot and all that stuff. He mouthed off to me first, and he pushed me," says Gale.

When asked if he was sorry, Gale first said, "No." He then looked off camera and said, "Oh, yes."

share this:

Tweet