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Sandra told the inquest she and her husband Dean adopted three children in 2011 from an Ethiopian orphanage: Kaleab, then aged seven (although Sandra noted his actual age could, in fact, be two years older) and his younger siblings.

Kaleab blossomed, discovering a love for football and making the honour roll three years straight.

But things weren’t so good for the youth on all fronts. Sandra said her son had problems with some kids at school that began to take a very serious toll.

“He was bullied,” she said. “He was called the n-word.”

She recounted three separate times Kaleab came home from school, having gotten in trouble for physical confrontations with other students. In all three cases, Kaleab was suspended.

Sandra told the inquest she talked to Kaleab once she learned what was being said to him. She also spoke to staff at his schools in Maclean and, later, Balgonie. While she testified she was told racism wasn’t tolerated, she wasn’t aware of anything being done about it.

“I always used to tell Kaleab, ‘Just walk away … Give them 10 chances,’ ” she said. “But he just had enough.”

On the first occasion, Kaleab was suspended for punching a student who called him the n-word. The second time, she said Kaleab was jumped by two kids, whom he then beat up. On the last occasion — just days before his death — Kaleab punched another student, knocking out teeth, when the teen reportedly tripped Kaleab during a basketball game and called him the n-word.