A 14-year-old boy who died suddenly in front of 50 classmates wrote a heart-rending text message to a girl he liked before the tragedy, an inquest has heard.
Sam Connor died by suicide in July last year in Surrey, England.
An inquest into his death revealed the young boy had previously spoken to friends about taking his life, but leaders at the Salesian Secondary School, where he attended, did not think he was “a student of immediate concern”, SurreyLive reported.
“Many of his friends thought it was a big joke and that they thought nothing would ever come of it. They genuinely did not think it, so did not pass on that information,” head of school Paul Gower told the Woking Coroner’s Court.
Sam Connor’s tragic text to girl
Sam sent a text message to a girl he had a crush on before he took his own life, The Sun reported.
The inquest heard he wrote in the message: “I’m going for a while, don’t forget me.”
The student took his own life after receiving a “negative” report from his school, according to the publication.
His family told the inquest Sam had anxiety and the report would have had an upsetting impact.
Some of Sam’s classmates told the inquest when the 14-year-old spoke about suicide they thought he was “joking”.
“Sam was slouching [in class] and he told me he wanted to commit suicide. He either said he wanted to or ‘I am going to’,” one classmate said, according to SurreyLive.
“I always thought they were throwaway comments. He tried to give me his phone and keys but I did not take them. I told him he had a long life to live.”
Another classmate also wrote a statement that was read out during the inquest.
“That day (July 15) he had been joking about killing himself but he had done it lots of times before so we thought he was just joking,” they said.
Teen described as ‘bright and popular’
Sam, a member of the local breakdancing club, was described as “bright and popular” by friends.
In a harrowing tribute on Facebook, a breakdancing friend said they were “heartbroken”.
“Cannot even think of an emotion to describe how I am right now apart from just heartbroken,” they wrote.
“No parent should ever have to bury their own child. The child should always bury the parents.”
The first wife of Sam’s dad, Deborah Barrett, described the Year 9 student as “a sensitive little soul” with a keen sense of humour.
He had a total of five half and full siblings, including Ms Barrett’s three daughters – one of who saw the incident happen.
The inquest continues.
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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2020-12-11 03:38:00
