The student in Osaka who hanged himself last month after enduring repeated beatings by his basketball coach at Sakuranomiya Senior High School told his mother he had been struck 30 to 40 times the day before he died, the local board of education revealed Thursday.
"I was hit many times again today, probably about 30 to 40 times," the 17-year-old teen told his mother after returning from practice on Dec. 22, according to the Osaka municipal board of education.
The 47-year-old coach, whose name has not been disclosed, admitted slapping the teen in the face when he made a mistake and said it was intended to "stir him up," the board said. The teen was captain of the team.