Sophie Docherty (Pic:Newsteam)
Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett has been accused of being a vicious bully who persecuted girls at school.
Roxanne, 25 - man-eater Jo Sugden in the ITV1 soap - has said in interviews that SHE was bullied so badly at school, that she was beaten up and once set alight.
But former pupils say Roxanne was also a bully herself, wrecking other girls' lives with devious mindgames and sniping.
Sophie Docherty, 25, said yesterday: "She was calculating, evil and devious to me at school. People should know that she was the bully, not the other way round."
Ex-policewoman Sophie initially got on well with Roxanne when they started at Trinity secondary school in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 1994.
"I liked Roxanne to begin with and she'd come round to my house and I'd also visit hers for sleepovers," said Sophie. "But she established herself as Queen Bee very quickly and then she began to bully me.
"At first it would take a subtle form such as embarrassing me in front of our friends, or asking me a question, then dismissing what I said and humiliating me.
"She'd say, 'You have got no friends and everyone hates you.' I was a target and to this day I don't know why. It just got worse from then on. For PE one day, we had to go for a cross-country run. After being friendly to my face in the changing rooms, it turned out Roxanne had told everyone that I was a lesbian, that I'd been watching the rest of the girls undress and that everyone should stay away from me.
"A group of us used to meet in town after school and at weekends - but Roxanne started arriving early and calling me from a call box to say that everyone had decided they didn't want me to come.
"Later I would find out that none of the girls had said this and in fact Roxanne had been lying.
"She once bet me that I couldn't get through the class without crying. She then did everything she could to humiliate me until I cracked and started crying. I cried for two hours."
She said Roxanne would pretend to be her friend one minute - then attack and humiliate her in front of the class the next.
"The silent treatment was very regular and made me feel anxious, uneasy and sapped my confidence."
Sophie said she felt so awful she even phoned ChildLine to pour out her problems.
Sophie's mum Penny, 54, said: "My bouncy, happy, carefree daughter was crying and scared to leave home. I had to do something. I made an appointment with her teacher.
"He said he knew Sophie was being bullied and he knew who by. But he said there was nothing he could do as the school didn't have an anti-bullying policy."
So Sophie's parents used their savings to take her out of Trinity after just two terms and sent her to private school instead.
After recovering her confidence and rebuilt her self-esteem, Sophie went on to become a WPC with Greater Manchester Police. She said: "From my experience as a policewoman and working with the women's refuge, I now know Roxanne's behaviour was classic abuse. The relationship becomes all about their control."
Mum-of-one Sophie, now married, quit the police after two years, and re-trained as a social services carer.
"Being bullied made me want to help people," she said.
Sophie bumped into Roxanne in a bar five years after she left Trinity. "Roxanne was obviously annoyed that half of Carlisle knew about her bullying, so she just came up matter-of-factly and announced that she hadn't bullied me at school.
"It was very odd. I told her that if that was what she believed, then fine.
"I don't want people to feel sorry for me. But after hearing her play the victim in the media - I wanted to tell people the truth.
"She is the bully, not the victim."
Sophie's pal Lisa Barlow says she has vivid memories of Sophie's treatment by Roxanne.
Lisa said: "People who went to school with Roxanne couldn't believe what we were hearing when she claimed to have been bullied. Ask anyone who knew her - it was Roxanne who was a bully.
And other Trinity pupils allege that Roxanne later bullied two other girls - one of whom is said to have changed schools after four years because of Roxanne's behaviour. Shortly after landing her Emmerdale part in 2005, Roxanne said of her time at school: "I had my hair set on fire and was beaten up. But though it was hard to deal with at the time, I never gave up.
"I wouldn't let the bullies see how upset I was. In fact, the whole experience made me stronger."
"Now I can laugh at those people who bullied me and said I'd never make it because since I've joined Emmerdale I feel like I have."
Last night an Emmerdale spokeswoman said: "Roxanne has no recollection of this girl."
If you are being bullied at school call ChildLine on 0800 1111 Or see www.bullying.co.uk and www.beatbullying.org
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