Friends claim teenager's suicide 'related to bullying'
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Friends claim teenager's suicide 'related to
bullying'
Tom Mullaney, a teenager from Bourneville, Birmingham, died by
suicide in May this year. Since the young man's death, it has been
suggested by some of the teenager's bereaved family members and
friends that bullying could have been among the contributing
factors which led him to take his own life.
Roy Bayliss, Tom's headmaster at Kings Norton Boys School, told
the Sun: "Students and staff are grieving after receiving news of
the death of Tom Mullaney."
He added that Tom had been a "cheerful and friendly" member of
the school community, and had harboured ambitions to become a
physical education teacher.
The bullying Tom experienced is said to have included verbal
threats of a physical attack at school, as well as internet abuse
via the social networking site Facebook.
Several friends, as well as Tom's brother Ashley, have posted
messages on a social networking page created as a tribute to the
teenager questioning the extent to which bullying may have played a
part in his suicide, according to the Sun.
The newspaper further states that the bullying Tom is alleged to
have received had become considerably worse in the days leading up
to his death.
However, a spokesperson for West Midlands Police could only
confirm to the newspaper that an investigation has begun into the
death of a local boy. They said: "At this stage police are not
treating the death as suspicious but we are making enquiries on
behalf of the coroner."
Bullying and suicide
Tom's case carries echoes of another teenage suicide – that of
Sam Leeson, who took his own life in 2008, aged 13.
Like Tom, Sam is also said to have suffered bullying, both in
the form of physical attacks and abuse via the internet.
His mother, Sally Cope, said recently: "Sam took the tragic
decision to take his own life as a result of bullying, so I know
from personal experience just how devastating the consequences of
bullying can be.
"I urge the government to take action to fund anti bullying work
in schools […] to prevent further deaths."
Samaritans' Nicola Peckett said: "Suicide is a complex issue and
seldom the result of a single factor or event.
"We do believe though that bullying, both in the playground and
online, can be one of the factors that leads a young person to take
their own life.
"We therefore welcome anti-bullying initiatives as well as any
research that furthers our understanding of the link between
bullying and suicide."
For more information about Samaritans' work in schools http://www.samaritans.org/our_services/work_in_schools.aspx
Samaritans
Samaritans is available nationwide to anyone experiencing
emotional distress or suicidal thoughts. They can be called for
support 24 hours a day on 08457 90 90 90 (UK) and 1850 60 90 90
(ROI), or emailed at jo@samaritans.org.
Face to face visits are also available – visit
http://www.samaritans.org/ for the nearest branch.
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