Long Bay College student who witnessed Albany Bus Station attack excluded from overseas trip

An Auckland student who earned a rare police honour for giving first aid to the victim of a fatal bus station stabbing was excluded from a class trip to Greece after her “ability to cope with trauma” was questioned by senior staff at her school.

A complaint was lodged with the Ministry of Eduction by the parents of pupil Amy Law against Long Bay College as well as an appeal to the board of trustees after the teenager was barred from travelling with her schoolmates just 24 hours before take-off.

The 18-year-old, who had worked part-time as a lifeguard and saved hard for the $8000 once-in-a-lifetime trip, said she was devastated when the principal refused to let her go on the grounds she was not in “the right mental state” despite earning praise from experts for the way she was handling the situation.

“I was looking forward to it all year,” Law told the Herald. “It was going to be the highlight of my final year at school.”

Police were seen on the site after the stabbing at the Albany Bus Station on September 18 last year. Photo / Dean Purcell

On September 18 - five days before she was set to fly out of the country - Law was a witness to a fatal stabbing at Albany Bus Station. She gave first aid to the victim, Epapara Poutapu, 24, who later died in hospital from his injuries. A trial is due to take place later this year after a teenager was charged with his death.

Law was acknowledged by police for her heroic efforts and awarded a Merit Coin by the Waitematā District Commander to honour her “bravery, determination and humanity”.

She is the only member of the public to ever receive the award, which has previously only been given to police officers.

Clothing, bags and other items were strewn around the scene after the incident on September 18 last year.

Law said she felt “surprisingly fine” in the days following the incident and was looking forward to the history trip.

“I didn’t struggle at all and not once did I feel I wasn’t okay to travel,” she said.

The teenager was seen by victim support workers who told her she was “handling the situation beautifully”. She claims another worker had no issue with her attending the trip.

Her mother, Lauren Law, notified the school about her daughter’s heroic efforts.

“I thought it would be a good thing for them to know and give her a bit of kudos,” Lauren said.

Amy Law (middle) was presented a Merit Coin by the Waitematā District Commander.

But Lauren Law was shocked after she says she received a call from the school’s counsellor 24 hours before the trip, telling her a risk assessment had been undertaken and it was decided that her daughter was not allowed to go.

Law’s parents and the two victim support workers asked to meet with principal CJ Healey that evening.

At the meeting, the senior student claims she was told by the principal that she might be a “liability” on the trip.

“Mr Healey said I wasn’t in the right mental state to be going overseas,” said Law.

“I just broke down, I was heartbroken. Mr Healey looked at my mum and said, ‘See, she’s not in her right mind’.

“I just couldn’t believe what was happening so I left the room.

“He kept saying how ‘trauma manifests’.

“He said, ‘We can’t be sure how a young person like Amy would be able to handle it’.”

Lauren Law said this was at odds with the views of victim support workers who were “horrified” with the outcome. She said the detective in charge of the investigation also expressed his shock in an email which the Herald has seen.

“I’m still struggling with the school’s drastic course of action, which I can only say, in my view, is counter-productive to Amy’s processing and recovery from the events of that Monday,” they wrote.

Long Bay College principal CJ Healey vetoed a long-awaited overseas school trip fearing pupil Amy Law was too traumatised to travel.

Lauren Law appealed to the college’s board of trustees who, she says told her they had not been involved in the decision to exclude her daughter.

She also lodged a formal complaint with the Ministry of Education but it was too late.

Board of trustees deputy chair Steve Piner told the Herald they would never decide to exclude a student from a school trip without “significant consultation and a thorough risk analysis”.

“Decisions of this nature would be made by a team of senior leaders after consultation with relevant trip leaders and appropriate school staff, and external experts in applicable fields,” he said.

A trial is due to take place later this year after a teenager was charged with the death of Epapara Poutapu, 24.

Healey said the school had reviewed the case.

“Additionally, we can confirm that there is no greater priority than our students and their health, safety and wellbeing, and we will continue to review our response to complex or significant cases in order to strengthen our practices and policies wherever we can.”

Lauren Law said it was “incredibly stressful” and believed her daughter’s “faith in authority” has been tarnished.

“I expect people like teachers to have their kids’ best interest at heart and to always be in their corner.”