An autistic bullying victim, targeted for years by a gang of youths, says he is now too scared to leave the house and will even starve himself to avoid further torment – but has been told by police ‘nothing can be done’ about the continued abuse.
Ben Canham has been bombarded with nasty messages and left battered and bloody by the thugs, who have pelted him with rocks and mocked his disability whenever they see him in the street.
In an Instagram message on Saturday, the so-called gang ring leader branded him a ‘fatty’, telling him ‘no one likes or supports you’ and ‘I wish you were dead’ – before bragging that there was nothing his victim could do about it.
Despite the yobs threatening to ‘kill’ the 23-year-old if he told of the bullying, he was so upset by the messages that he decided to speak out and share his experience on social media in a bid ‘to not feel alone’.
Ben Canham, pictured, has been left battered and bloody by a gang of thugs who have pelted him with rocks
Tragically, Ben has lived on his own since losing both of his parents when he was aged just 18 and has had to fend for himself ever since.
Ben, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, said: ‘I get nervous about going out anywhere on my own. I’ve had stones thrown at me and people have called me names and pick on me because of the way I am [due to my autism].
‘This still happens now. I get uncomfortable about leaving my own house because most of the time when I go out that always happens and I feel unsafe.
‘I hardly go out anywhere. I sometimes even starve myself because I can’t even go to the supermarket to buy food.
‘I thought I have to share this on social media because I don’t want to feel like I’m on my own with it. I was finding it was getting too much for me.
‘I’ve been threatened with a knife in the past. I had a message from this person on Instagram and he basically said “if you ever tell anyone I carry a knife I will kill you”.
‘It is horrible because I feel like I’m isolated a lot of the time. I normally only get to go out twice a week max. And that’s normally when I have a friend with me.
The 23-year-old shared a heartbreaking diary entry on social media in which he says ‘all I want to do is go to sleep and never wake up’
‘I don’t feel safe when I’m on my own so I have to wait until I have someone to go with me to go places.
‘I don’t know them or associate with them. I don’t know what they pick on me for.
‘They were just shouting horrible names to me and calling me horrible names that I didn’t like. And then [the ring leader] went to pick up two stones from the ground and threw them at me.
‘It was painful and scarring. I didn’t know what to do, I was really upset.
‘It’s strange because I just mind my own business whenever I am out but when they’re on their own when I see them, they always put their heads down when they see me.
‘But when they’re with their mates and I’m by myself they start picking on me.
‘They are youths from the area. It is cowardly bullying. But it does upset me as I like to feel safe in my own town and to go out and not have any problems. It’s not nice.’
Ben tragically lost his father Dennis, pictured left, and mother Jean, pictured right, within the space of a year as a teenager
Ben’s father Dennis Canham died of lung cancer at the age of 69 when Ben was only 17.
And the youngster’s life was hit by tragedy a second time when his mother Jean Wright, 67, passed away the following year after a heart attack.
Poor Ben was present when both of them died and has looked after himself ever since and found comfort in researching haunted objects.
However he has received an outpouring of support from the paranormal community, including TV presenter and spiritual medium Chris Fleming sharing Ben’s ordeal and condemning the bullies.
When Ben reported having stones thrown at him, the police gave the chief bully a warning, he said.
But when he reported Saturday’s abusive messages, he says officers told him there was nothing they could do about it and didn’t have that ‘facility’.
Ben even shared a tragic 2019 diary entry where he writes ‘all I want to do is go to sleep and never wake up because the only time I feel at rest is when I’m asleep’.
TV presenter and spiritual medium Chris Fleming, pictured left, alongside Ben, centre, and fellow paranormal expert Barri Ghai, right, shared the victim’s ordeal and social media and condemned the bullies. Ben says he has found comfort in recent years in researching haunted objects
And now he says all he wants is for the bullying to stop so he can focus on being happy again.
Ben said: ‘I’ve had loads of name calling. I’ve been called fatty, a retard, a d**khead – I’ve been called all sorts of things. Horrible words.
‘It’s just really heartbreaking. I just feel like I’m living in fear all the time. I’ve tried contacting the police about it but they said to me on Monday ‘there’s nothing we can do’.
‘That’s the reason I’ve put it on Facebook because I thought I don’t want these people to get away with what they’ve done. They’ve done a lot of damage to my health.
‘[When the bully said he gets away with everything] it made me feel sad. That’s what made me put it up on social media in the end. I was just getting tired of him getting away with stuff.
‘And the police aren’t doing anything because they said they haven’t got that facility.
‘I don’t know if it’s because of cutbacks. I do feel a bit let down by certain services. I don’t think they quite understand how badly it’s affected my health and anxiety.
Bullies have tormented Ben for years with abusive and threatening messages such as the ones pictured here
‘All I want is for all the bullying to stop so I can focus on being happy again.’
Ben believes sharing his story might help other victims of bullying and even claims police should give bullies ‘restraining orders’ to stop them getting away with their actions.
Ben said: ‘There are a lot of people out there who struggle to speak up about bullying and what they’re going through.
‘And I like to think if my story can help somebody or raise awareness about bullying that would make me feel happy because I don’t want these bullies to get away with this.
‘It has a massive impact on people’s lives.
‘In an ideal world the police should either give them a restraining order or punish them because they shouldn’t get away with this kind of thing. It’s awful.
‘I think bullying someone with autism is bad because people should know it’s not that [people with autism] can’t learn anything – it’s that they learn differently.
Ben was left injured after being pelted with rocks by his tormentors
‘I think people with autism are very gifted, intelligent people and should be proud of who they are and what they have.
‘I would never change the person I am. I love being kind, caring and considerate towards others. I also think autism is not just a disability but it’s a different ability.’
Leicestershire Police confirmed that after the stone throwing incident in 2017, three individuals were spoken to about the allegation and given words of advice.
The police spokesperson also confirmed they received a report on February 23, 2020 from ‘a member of the public reporting having received offensive messages via social media’.
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: ‘The content was viewed by officers and the caller was advised to contact the platform directly to report the messages.
‘Officers suggested he blocked the contact from his account and he was also given advice in relation to his own use of social media.
‘The victim agreed to be put in touch with Victim First who offer confidential and independent advice to victims. Support can be tailored to the individual’s needs and may include referrals to other agencies.’