Justin Bieber befriends bullying victim and viral internet star Casey Heynes



One is a superstar, idolised by millions of fans around the globe, and the other was, until recently, an unknown student from the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

But when a video of school yard bullying victim Casey Heynes fighting back against his tormentors went viral, he caught the attention of Justin Bieber.

The singer, currently on tour Down Under, tracked down Casey after hearing about his story and invited him to his Melbourne concert.



No one will bully him now: Justin Bieber has befriended Australian viral internet sensation Casey Heynes

Justin, who has been vocal in his campaign to stop bullying, has called Casey a 'real life hero.'

Bieber alerted his 9.3 million Twitter followers to the YouTube video of Casey being punched repeatedly by bullies before snapping and 'body slamming' his attacker to the ground.

Since it was posted online in March, the video has been reported on and discussed in newspapers and on television shows across the globe including the Daily Mail as well as TMZ, CBS and The View.

Despite the violent way in which he reacted, support for Casey, who says he has suffered daily verbal and physical abuse since primary school, has been widespread.



Support: Justin invited Casey, who became a worldwide sensation when a video of him fighting off bullies went viral, to his concert in Melbourne

Filmed by Australian program A Current Affair, Justin met Casey backstage at his Melbourne show at the Rod Laver Arena after flying him and his family to the concert as his guests.

'When I first saw it on TMZ I thought, this is crazy, like I couldn't believe it, it's amazing,' 17-year-old Justin told Casey backstage.



'It shows everybody else that you have to stand up for yourself and you can't just take it.



'The first thing you should do is go tell someone, but then you might have to hit back, sometimes you have to so I think that was important for you, especially in that situation. I'm proud of you — and so many other people are.'



Rising star: The 16-year-old bullying victim introduced Justin's hit song Never Say Never

Meet and greet: Justin told Casey and his family, 'I'm proud of you - and so many other people are'

Bieber invited Casey, dubbed 'Casey the Punisher' onstage, where they hugged and Justin asked him to introduce his next song Never Say Never.

After the show Justin tweeted: 'Pretty special night tonight in MELBOURNE....surprised someone me and the team look up to. A kid with a lot of courage.



'This is Casey the punisher...a kid who stood up for himself against bullying. A real life hero.

He added: 'Well 2nite we tracked down Casey and his family and flew him to the show. Thank you Casey (sic).'

Fellow internet sensations: The singer, who rose to fame on YouTube, tracked down Casey and his family and flew them to Melbourne

Casey has told how he was bullied by his tormentor in the now infamous video a fortnight before the incident. He has been duct taped to a pole and called names like 'fatty.'

In the 40-second video, the bully is filmed prodding Casey in the face and stomach while fellow students laugh and encourage him.

After taking the abuse for a period of time Casey suddenly snaps, picks up his smaller attacker and slams him down onto the concrete ground in a powerful wrestling move.



Fighting back: A video of Casey being punched in his western Sydney school yard before snapping and 'body slamming' his attacker against the ground has received worldwide attention

In an interview aired in March with A Current Affair, Casey says said he had never reacted like that before, but this time, 'Everything had built up over three years.



'All the anger came out of it.'



But he does not promote violent retaliation as a way of dealing with bullies. 'Try to walk away,' he advised. 'But if a fight starts, sometimes things happen.'

With one of the globes biggest stars in his corner, it doesn't look like Casey will be bullied again.

