Three of the nine students charged in connection with the death of a North Clare teenager have pleaded not guilty to charges facing them.
Phoebe Prince, who grew up in Fanore but moved with her family to the US last September took her own life after suffering months of bullying in her new school in Massachusetts.
A court hearing was held yesterday for three of her former classmates charged in connection with her death
17 year old Sean Mulveyhill and 18 Austin Renaud are charged with statutory rape, while charges against Mulveyhill and Kayla Narey include civil rights violations and harassment.
Under a court rule, the youths were not required to appear at the hearing in Hampshire Superior Court, Massachusetts, and so their pleas were given through their lawyers.
They will next appear in court in September, and in the meantime will remain free on condition that they stay away from Phoebe’s family.
Three of the other teens were charged as minors with civil rights violations, while another three — are expected to come before Hampshire-Franklin juvenile court for charges.
