Thousands of parents have rallied together sharing their support for the father who choked a 15-year-old boy for reportedly bullying his stepdaughter.
Mark Bladen, 53, said he was giving the boy a ‘good old fashioned talking to’ when the teenager smiled at him, prompting him to ‘snap’ – which was caught on camera.
Scores of frustrated parents backed the ‘hero dad’ who ‘deserved a medal’ as they claimed they would do the same thing if they were in his shoes.
Thousands of parents have rallied together sharing their support for the father who choked a 15-year-old boy for reportedly bullying his stepdaughter (pictured)
Mark Bladen, 53, (pictured) said he was giving the boy a ‘good old fashioned talking to’ when the teenager smiled at him, prompting him to ‘snap’ – which was caught on camera
Scores of frustrated parents backed the ‘hero dad’ who ‘deserved a medal’ as they claimed they would do ‘exactly the same’ thing if they were in his shoes
‘Good on him. Why should he have to live with the risk of burying his child who becomes so broke she commits suicide?’ one person wrote (pictured)
One person claimed even if it cost ‘$5000’ it would be worth it to ‘teach this punk a life lesson’
‘Good on him. Why should he have to live with the risk of burying his child who becomes so broke she commits suicide?’ one person wrote.
‘I would gladly go to jail if that was what it comes to protect my daughter. Most kids these days have no respect … good on this fella for protecting his child,’ another said.
A concerned mother claimed it was because of ‘scum like this putrid bully’ that an epidemic of young children has taken their own lives in the last year.
‘I’d love to shake this guys hand. As a mother I’d do exactly the same as him … that girl now knows that she’s not alone and that she has support and that her dad’s not afraid to step up and defend her,’ she wrote.
‘Even if it cost me $5000, teaching this punk a life lesson would be worth it. At 15 years of age they know exactly what they are doing,’ another person shared.
‘Give the father a medal for teaching this coward bully a lesson. Bullies should be put in their place, emotional torment is often worse than physical,’ one wrote.
‘This dad is not a bully. It isn’t bullying if you’re standing up for someone who can’t defend themselves,’ someone posted.
The incident took place at The Gap skate park in Brisbane, Queensland, last month where chilling footage showed the moment the grown man threw himself towards the boy.
‘Give the father a medal for teaching this coward bully a lesson. Bullies should be put in their place, emotional torment is often worse than physical,’ one wrote (pictured)
A concerned parent said ‘kids these days show no respect’ and don’t learn lessons
Another person questioned whether the teenager was punished by law (pictured)
The bully was sitting on a bench at the time, as one of his friends yelled ‘get the f*** off him’.
Mr. Bladen’s daughter claimed the child had relentlessly bullied her by calling her names and giving her insulting gifts.
The defensive father responded to the attack saying ‘Dr. Jekyll came out’ in a 60 Minutes preview ahead of Sunday’s full episode.
‘(He) called me names like a gorilla and King Kong, he would buy me shaving cream for Christmas so that I would shave,’ she told reporter Liz Hayes.
Bladen explained he intended on giving the boy a ‘good old fashioned talking to’ on the day he ended up physically assaulting him.
‘(But) he smiled at me,’ the man said, alluding to the moment that pushed him over the edge and into a violent rage.
One person pointed out young children were taking their own lives because of bullying and nothing was being done about it
Mr. Bladen’s daughter (pictured) claimed the boy had relentlessly bullied her by calling her names and giving her insulting gifts
Friends of the father have since praised him for sticking up for his ‘princess’, with one saying he hoped he ‘would do it again’.
‘He’s got to stand up for his family,’ one member of Chermside Darts Club said, as another agreed, saying, ‘I would hope that he would do it again, to be honest.’
A woman, believed to be the mother of the bullying victim, defended the father saying, ‘he did what any parent would do’.
Mr. Bladen pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and was sentenced on March 20 to pay $1,000 with no conviction recorded, and ordered to pay $500 compensation.
His victim suffered bruising to his throat and scratches to his limbs in the fight, which was eventually broken up by his friends.
Mr. Bladen pleaded guilty to a count of assault occasioning bodily harm and was sentenced on March 20 to pay $1000 with no conviction recorded, and ordered to pay $500 compensation
Mr. Bladen told police he was ‘aghast’ at his behavior, and apologized outside the court to the victim.
‘I’m very sorry for what I did, very regretful and ashamed,’ he said. ‘Please don’t do what I did, I just lost control. It’s definitely not the way to handle things,’ he said.
In his interview, Mr. Bladen said he thought there was too much ‘political correctness’ evident in current society.
‘When I was young you treated a lady like a lady and it should be the same way now,’ he said.
‘We live in a day of political correctness, and I hate it.’
The full episode will air on Channel Nine at 8.30pm on Sunday.
In his interview, Mr. Bladen (right, with his partner and stepdaughter) said he thought there was too much ‘political correctness’ evident in current society
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