Community stunned by more deaths

Nathaniel Pritchard, 15, and 20-year-old Kelly Stephenson, who were named by neighbours, lived on the same street in a county that has mourned the suicides of 16 young people in little more than a year.

It is understood the pair, of Bridgend, South Wales, died within hours of each other in separate incidents.

Friends said that they cannot explain the deaths, but believe there is no common factor linking them to the other suicides.

Nathaniel was taken to hospital on Wednesday night after being found at his home in Ystrad Fawr, Cefn Glas, but has since died. Neighbours believe his nine-year-old brother Conner found him hanging in an attic room.

Keen footballer Ms Stephenson was on holiday with her grandmother in Folkestone, Kent, when she was found dead in the early hours of Friday. She is thought to have been found hanging.

The deaths bring the number of apparent suicides in Bridgend County Borough to 16 in just over a year. It is believed Ms Stephenson knew Liam Clarke and Gareth Morgan, both of whom died last month.

A 28-year-old neighbour of Ms Stephenson and Nathaniel, who also knew Liam and Gareth, said: "I would never have thought it would be those two, and especially not Nathaniel. He was just a lovely boy, and will be missed. I saw him running down the street on Wednesday, he was laughing and joking. I only heard about Kelly last night. I just don't know what to think."

Police have refused to confirm how Nathaniel and Ms Stephenson harmed themselves, but said initial indications were that neither death was suspicious. Local coroners have been informed of the deaths, and inquests will take place at a later date. Police have played down links between the young people who have recently died in the area.

Bridgend AM Carwyn Jones dismissed rumours of a suicide cult as "absolute nonsense". He said: "Unfortunately, we have a number of suicides in Bridgend every year, but we're not the worst in Wales - the county has the sixth highest rate of suicide out of all the Welsh counties. Every single case is now being reported to the nth degree, which makes it appear worse than it is. Young suicides are a problem everywhere. These suicides aren't in one town here either - it's a county of 130,000 people. There's nothing sinister here at all."