I think the most people can't imagine this type of needless escalation. They seem not to live in areas where this type of behavior is "usually" happening.Use_Imagination_here said:What should you do, let him beat the living shit out of you?
Why did the school, the community allow a 15y a) to "gang up" and b) to start harassing 11y olds? Where were the families here? I'm sure, there is now a wide discussion in this community how this escalated to this point. The mother of the dead boy is now big in victimization, as they always are, when their "good kid" got "a way too strong" reaction from people they harass for month, even years. Where was her judgment before?
It seems the 11y old had nobody to talk to, because its assumed that if you are bullied you have to take it out yourself? I would understand a 1:1 fight between seemingly fair built "fighting partners". But bullies never use this logic, because they "get it on" creating fear and spreading hate. They select someone who will not fight back, or, expecting no serious reactions. 2:1 or even 3:1 has started to have criminal implications in some countries. So I don't get the escalation.
I see the community, their families, at major fault for this escalation. Where I live, you do that "gang up thing" exactly one time. When you have to get up 2 hours early because no school in 2 hours range will take you with this attitude. Some kids start to think about their behavior, even the most sociopaths bully becomes "tame" when he returns from a two weeks stint at that "reception camp" (only cynics call it a school).
Knifing someone to a 2:1 or 3:1 is not much extreme. He had to expect long term damage. If the community can't give any other means to resolve this, then the judge was right: he applied the "logic" this community told the young boy to solve this.