Canada

Eight girls are facing charges in a bullying case at a high school in London, police in the southwestern Ontario city said.

The arrests were made as part of an investigation that revealed a student at the school had been the target of physical, emotional and cyber bullying, police said.

The eight suspects are each charged with criminal harassment and have been released from custody on a promise to appear in court.

Police could not say Friday when the hearing would take place.

They said information about the alleged bullying came from direct statements and through an anonymous reporting portal on the school website.

Police said officials have been able to support the victim, ensure the student was safe and then address the bullying behaviour.

The investigation is continuing and police said additional charges may be laid.

The arrests came as several schools and groups prepared to pay tribute Friday to bullying victims, including a British Columbia teen who committed suicide after enduring years of Internet sexual exploitation and torment by her peers.

Amanda Todd, who was from Port Coquitlam, B.C., took her own life last week, the latest in a series of high-profile bullying incidents that have come to tragic conclusions.