In his scathing criticism of former headmaster William Blackshaw (Letters, January 24), the hand-wringing Dr Mike Cole conveniently failed to mention that the boy Blackshaw caned was a cowardly bully who had "severely traumatised" a new pupil at his school.

When I was 14, I was also victimised by a similar thug when I changed schools. I was a shy, sensitive child - a bully's favourite target.

The resulting stress ruined my academic career and reduced my self-esteem to such a low ebb that I experimented with drugs.

My entire adolescence was, in effect, wrecked and this had far-reaching consequences.

I would suggest Dr Cole is a practitioner of quackery, for it takes but little qualification to realise that the principal "redeeming feature" of Mr Blackshaw's actions was to save a boy from further torment.

With the resulting brouhaha, I am confident this was the case.

Most certainly if society had not rejected the old-school values of discipline, which this headmaster exemplified, bullying and other despicable thuggery would not have escalated to its present uncontrollable level among the youth of today.

-Name and address supplied