A 12-year-old boy died by suicide after he was repeatedly targeted by homophobic bullying, an inquest has found.
Riley Hadley, a former pupil at Sidmouth Community College in southwest England, was being homeschooled by his mother, Alison Holmes, due to the bullying.
She told an inquest at Exeter County Hall that her son was “afraid to go to school and the local park in fear of being bullied,” after other students had hurt him, kicked him into a road, and kicked and pushed him in the school’s corridors.
Friends of Hadley said that bullies had repeatedly told him they wished he was dead, including telling him to “do us all a favor and slit your wrists.”
Hadley had been questioning his sexuality, the inquest heard, and police interviews with almost 30 children confirmed that he was bullied because of it.
On October 15, 2019, after a discussion about Hadley potentially returning to school, he hanged himself in his room.
His mother found him unresponsive and cold to the touch, and a post mortem confirmed that he died due to asphyxia from hanging, DevonLive reports.
Holmes described her son as a “gentle, caring boy” and said he had confided to her that he thought he might be gay. Holmes said she had supported him, adding, “As he was still young I did not see it as a big concern.”
However, she made the decision to begin homeschooling him, rather than have Hadley return to school in September 2019 after the summer break, due to the bullying he was experiencing.
Holmes told the inquest that she wasn’t aware of any other issues, saying she had a “good relationship” with her son and he “would tell me if something was worrying him.”
Neither of his parents reported being aware that Hadley had considered self-harm, but his friends said that he previously threatened to harm himself — including claiming a previous hanging attempt — although they told police that they didn’t take the threats seriously.
On the day of his death, Holmes took her son for a routine doctor’s appointment, where he expressed being anxious about school.
When they returned home, she said they discussed whether he should return to school or hire a tutor to continue homeschooling, as Holmes’ work schedule meant she often had to leave him at home alone.
“He had a cry,” she said. “We talked and he seemed a bit better.”
Afterwards, Holmes left for work, leaving Hadley at home. He texted a friend around 11 a.m. saying, “I have to come back to school.” The friend asked why, but received no response.
At 4:10 p.m., Holmes came home and found Hadley in his room.
Assistant coroner Alison Longhorn told the inquest, “I am satisfied that on the balance of probability, Riley put a ligature around his neck and, in doing so, very sadly intended to take his own life.”
Longhorn spoke directly to Hadley’s brother, Jack Holmes, who had moved to Spain shortly before his death.
“It must be heartbreaking to lose someone so young in these circumstances,” she said. “I can’t imagine how difficult it has been for you all.”
A gay Holocaust survivor is comparing former President Donald Trump's autocratic tendencies and propaganda tactics to former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
With the help of her children and grandchildren, the 88-year-old woman, known as Grandma Elli, was able to familiarize herself with TikTok and start posting observations about the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
"I've been around a long time and seen many crises, but never like this one in our country," she said in her first video. "As far as I can see, there's really only one question to answer as we decide who we want for our next president, and that is: Do we want to continue our democracy, civil liberties, and free elections, or do we want a 'wannabe dictator,' by his own words, who will go after our freedoms one by one, dismantle them, and then take vengeance on all who disagreed with him?"
Bryan Smith, a well-known and popular D.C.-based DJ and hairstylist, has died after being brutally attacked in a robbery.
Smith, also known as "The Barber," was found unconscious in the 500 block of T Street NW around 5 a.m. on October 26. He was found suffering from severe injuries, including head trauma, with blood on his nose and hands, according to D.C. FOX affiliate WTTG. He was transported to a local hospital and lay in a coma for over a week before passing away on Thursday, November 7.
Smith's friends created a GoFundMe page intended to help financially assist him while he recovered from his injuries. The crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $54,000.
Arad Winwin, a model and content creator best known for his work in gay adult films, received backlash on social media for sharing posts expressing support for President-elect Donald Trump and opposition to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In the run-up to this year's election, the 34-year-old gay man shared various memes attacking Harris, Biden, and Democratic surrogates while championing Trump. He also shared a racist meme questioning Harris's ethnic and racial background.
The day after the election, Winwin shared a post including an image from the Daily Patriot Report.
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