A 14-year-old girl from West Sussex committed suicide because she was taunted by bullies who called her a lesbian and laughed at her dress sense, reports Metro.co.uk. After enduring more than a year of taunts, Belinda Allen hanged herself from a tree outside a social club using a scarf. The teenager was allegedly called a "dyke" and picked on because she "dressed differently" and "liked wearing dresses rather than trendy outfits", a friend said. Belinda's 15-year-old former classmate at Tanbridge House School, West Sussex, added: "I knew Belinda was being bullied, but I didn't know how badly she had taken it. On the outside she was happy and bubbly." The school's headteacher, Jules White, was unable to say whether Belinda's death on Tuesday was bullying-related. Belinda's parents, Kevin and Lindsey Allen, of Horsham, West Sussex, yesterday paid tribute to their "bubbly, fun-loving and kind" daughter. In December the British government told schools to beef up their protections for LGBT students. In an advisory sent to all schools across the UK the government warned principals that turning a blind eye to homophobia would not be tolerated.