Bullying claims surface to shame front-runner Mitt Romney

MITT Romney was last night forced to defend himself against allegations

he bullied a suspected gay classmate at school.

According to the Washington Post, he targeted the boy, who had died his hair blond, and instructed others to pin him to the ground while he hacked at his locks with scissors. The victim cried. The paper spoke to five former schoolfriends of Mr Romney, who expressed regret at the incident.

The newspaper also reported that Mr Romney shouted “atta girl” at a different student who had effeminate qualities. In a radio interview yesterday, Mr Romney said he did not remember the incident, but added: “Back in high school, I did some dumb things, and if anybody was hurt by that or offended, obviously I apologise for that.”