Three female students at a middle school in Dehua county, Quanzhou city, have received a major demerit for beating up their schoolmate, local media reported.

A?still image from a video clip shows a?female student at the Dehua NO.3 Middle School is slapped on her face by her schoolmates. [Photo/fj.sina.com.cn]

The bullying took place in a bathroom in Dehua No 3 Middle School on Jan 19, where the trio assaulted Zeng Ling (alias) and filmed the act.

A two minute, 24 second video clip capturing the violence was uploaded on the Internet on Feb 6. Two of the attackers are seen taking turns slapping Zeng on the face dozens of times and kicking her.

The horrendous act went viral online and triggered an outcry from netizens who were angered at the girls’ brutality.

The school confirmed the case to local media on Feb 7, adding that it was settled after negotiation between both parties’ parents. The three attackers received a major demerit on their record.

The bullying occurred after Zeng’s boyfriend suspected she was dating someone else and then asked the three to “teach her lesson”, said the school.