Dawn-Marie Wesley

Dawn-Marie Wesley (June 5, 1986 – November 10, 2000) was a Canadian student who died by suicide after experiencing a cycle of bullying by psychological torture and verbal threats from three female bullies at her high school.

She left behind a note to her family that referred to the bullying to which she had been subjected: "If I try to get help, it will get worse. They are always looking for a new person to beat up and these are the toughest girls. If I ratted, they would get expelled from school and there would be no stopping them. I love you all so much." She hanged herself with a dog leash in her bedroom. Their identities are protected because they were prosecuted under Canada's Young Offenders Act. B.C. Provincial Court Judge Jill Rounthwaite's ruling stated that it was clear that one of the accused had bullied Wesley repeatedly thus giving the victim reason to fear for her life. Rounthwaite also stated that bystanders added "to the power of the bully" by letting the harassment continue without intervention.

Documentary film Rats & Bullies is a feature documentary film written, directed and produced by Roberta McMillan and Ray Buffer that investigated Wesley's suicide and offers solutions to teens, parents, teachers and school administrators on bullying. The film includes interviews with people involved in the tragedy and insight from educational experts.

Rats & Bullies was filmed on location on Mission, British Columbia, Canada; Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada; Washington D.C.; and California (USA).