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Number of young people found hanged in 'suicide cult town' rises to 13
Last updated at 17:52pm on 25.01.08The true scale of a suicide epidemic among young people in a small town was revealed yesterday.
As well as the seven deaths linked to social networking websites, a coroner revealed that a further six had also died within a year.
The astonishing rate of hangings in Bridgend, South Wales, has terrified parents in the area and one secondary school has been placed on 'suicide watch' after pupils appealed for help.
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Another tragic statistic: Jason Williams with his sister Louise
Of the seven "internet" suicides which culminated in the death last week of 17-year-old Natasha Randall, each victim was known by at least one of the others.
Although the six other deaths revealed by coroner Philip Walters are believed to be isolated incidents, he said they show that the problem is even more widespread than originally feared.
"I am very concerned," he said. "It is very important that we get to grips with the situation.
Victim: Natasha Randall was found hanged last week. At least 12 others youngsters from Bridgend have died in the same way within the past year
"There are 12 young men and one young woman involved and all were found hanged in the area in the last year."
One of the other victims, James Knight, 26, hanged himself from a belt during a heavy drinking session after a painful break-up with his girlfriend.
Another, Andrew O'Neill, 20, died after being convicted of drink-driving and assaulting a police officer. A further hanging victim was lorry driver
Jason Williams, 21, only months before he was due to marry. His bride-to-be said she was mystified by his suicide.
Police investigating the six further suicides do not believe they were linked to the other seven deaths in the town, whose population is less than 40,000.
A spokesman said: "Although it is an absolute tragedy for the families involved, we do not believe they knew each other."
As investigations into the multiple deaths continued yesterday, a secondary school attended by a 15-year-old who recently tried to take her own life announced new measures to tackle the problem.
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Suicide cult: Clockwise from top left: Zachery Barnes, 17, Liam Clarke, 20, Natasha Randall, 17, Dale Crole, 18, David Dilling, 19, Gareth Morgan, 27, and Thomas Davies, 20
Leah Phillips was moments away from death when her stepfather found her hanging by a rope from the banister of their home near Bridgend the day after her 17-year-old friend Natasha died.
Now senior staff at her school have announced the creation of an "anti-suicide taskforce" after 12 of her fellow students made a plea for help.
Teachers at Ynysawdre Comprehensive set up the group to "prevent further tragedies" and held discussions with a charity aimed specifically at preventing suicide and depression in the young.
Deputy head Michelle Hatcher said the school "felt the need to act swiftly" to tackle the problem.
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Bridgend: The town has gained notoriety as the suicide capital of Britain. The number of young people found hanged is almost twice as many as previously thought
She said: "There were 12 pupils who are friends of this girl and they came to us and asked for help. The news was already ripping through the school about this girl trying to commit suicide.
"We knew we had to act quickly so we held a special assembly to explain to pupils there was support within and outside the school if they need to talk. We have a school counsellor they can always talk to, as well as other teachers or myself, the school's child protection officer."
The 920-pupil school has been shocked by the spate of suicides in the town, and Leah's mother last night said the school was acting sensibly to protect the pupils.
Phillip Walters: The coroner has revealed 13 young people have hanged themselves in Bridgend
"It is definitely a good idea for the school to be on suicide watch.
"If they can help them to prevent it happening again that's got to be a good thing.
"In our experience there are no signs - you don't know what to look for. It is very worrying.
"It is a start if they have come forward to talk about it, because they weren't talking about it before. I thought there might be one or two but not 12."
Reader views (5)
I am from Bridgend, and have come back here twice, between studying for my BA and MA. There are good parts of the county, and there are bad, the same as everywhere else. Unfortunately, teenagers one the whole are more likely to dramatise and over-react to the things that are happening around them, which includes school and home life. The problem here was not that the town made them want to kill themselves, but that they were young, and, especially after the media frenzy, affected and influenced. If you are feeling down, as a teenager, or as an adult, you are likely to consider suicide as a thought occassionally. Teenagers, due to a penchant for self-involvement, are likely to consider it more often, when they have had a bad day/experience. It is normally fear and a desire to keep the things loved in life that stops people from commiting suicide. I believe the media frenzy showed (as has been discussed in hindsight) far too many details of the suicide victims, and their methods, and to which end, this may have given those who would have contemplated but but not gone through with suicide, the courage to do it. I doubt that, if any of the victims could have given you a reason as to why they decided to kill themselves, they would have said 'I just hated the town I live in'. There are beautiful beaches, country walks and forestries within the county of Bridgend, and it is a 20 minute train ride from Swansea and Cardiff. Honestly, what's so bad about that?
- Harriet, Bridgend, Wales
It sounds as if these children need some sort of stimulation; a boost perhaps, some type of reinforcement of hope and inspiration. Maybe a trip to somewhere else...maybe to a football match...anything to raise spirits and give them a glimpse of life after secondary school and Bridgend.
- Zachary Dulevitz, Texas, United States of America
This has nothing to do with social conditions or the state of Bridgend. It's a natural phenomena, look it up, anything can become epidemic, even suicide. Malcom Gladwell wrote about it in his book on such matters "the tipping point", it has happened before lets not get out sensationalist about it
- Daveb, london
And in how many other towns is this happening ? Bright, energetic young people who realise, when trying to start a worthwhile career, that they've been let down by the education system and the area they live in has no worthwhile training or employment prospects. They can't even move to a big city to seek employment because the accommodation costs there are so high. This is the true Blair legacy, 10 years of hot air while social and employment conditions deteriorate. Tragic.
- Peter Haldane, London
I grew up in Bridgend. It was a miserable, cold, violent and unpleasant town, which has since gone downhill. Having endured a rotten education that I've had to explain away my entire adult life (no honestly, I'm not thick. I might have got an E at maths A level, but my teacher only had a D, and I actually came top), I wanted very much to die - or at least to stop living. Thank God I got out. I wish these kids could see what life has to offer if they would only flee the suffocating mediocrity of Bridgend.
- G, London, UK
