Families of teenagers who died after hypnosis receive payout

The parents of three Florida teenagers who died after being hypnotised by their headteacher have been awarded a $600,000 (£390,000) settlement.

Members of the Sarasota County School Board agreed to the payment, saying they were "happy to put this behind them," the Herald Tribune reports.

It concludes a legal battle which began in 2011 after 16-year-olds Wesley McKinley and Marcus Freeman and 17-year-old Brittany Palumbo died after they were hypnotised by George Kenney.

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Two of the students committed suicide, while another died in a car crash after practising self-hypnosis taught by Kenney. Later investigations revealed that Kenney had hypnotised up to 75 students and staff at the school in an effort to treat conditions such as anxiety.

The families' attorney Damian Mallard said his clients would never get over what happened. "It's probably the worst loss that can happen to a parent is to lose a child, especially needlessly because you had someone who decided to perform medical services on kids without a licence."

"He altered the underdeveloped brains of teenagers, and they all ended up dead because of it."

Though there was no criminal link between the deaths and Kenney's treatment, the headteacher was charged with two misdemeanours including practising therapeutic hypnosis without a licence.

He entered a no contest plea and ended up serving a year's probation. He has since voluntarily given up his teaching licence.

The families are not happy about Kenney's lack of punishment, said Mallard. "The thing that is the most disappointing to them is he never apologised, never admitted wrongdoing and is now living comfortably in retirement in North Carolina with his pension."