Bullied teenager hanged himself

Published on Saturday 3 September 2005 00:07

A TEENAGER hanged himself with his school tie after he fell victim to a campaign of bullying, an inquest heard yesterday.

Shaun Noonan, 14, was headbutted, thrown into a ditch, stamped on, chased and had an earring pulled out by thugs at Sutton High School in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

In one incident, one bully made a flying drop-kick into Shaun's back while others filmed the assault on a mobile phone - a so-called "happy slapping".

His parents, ex-soldier Gary and care assistant Diane, spoke to the school several times and asked for Shaun to be moved to a different school, in which he had more friends.

But the school authorities refused and on 18 April, Shaun's mother found him inside his wardrobe, hanging from his blue, yellow and white school tie attached to the clothes rail.

His frantic parents managed to cut him down and resuscitate him but his brain had been starved of oxygen for too long and he died in hospital six days later.

Dr Janet Napier, deputy coroner for Cheshire, recorded an open verdict, saying there was no evidence that Shaun intended to take his life.

The inquest, sitting in Chester, heard that Shaun was a bright and lively pupil at school, participating in dance, music and poetry clubs in his first two years.

Further incidents of bullying came to light after Shaun's death. His father told the inquest that their daughter, 12-year-old Kimberley, said Shaun had been the victim of a "happy slapping", in which unprovoked assaults are recorded on mobile- phone cameras for the amusement of the perpetrators.