A 13-year-old UK boy hanged himself after buying computer games worth $700.98 using his mother's credit card.
Henry Tattersall, a resident of Newchurch, Lancashire, took his mother's credit card to buy himself Christmas gifts last November. However, after the bank statement arrived, his mother Eve and stepfather confronted him about the hefty expenditure on Xbox games, an inquest found.
He was seemingly upset with the confrontation and went to his bedroom. Following this, he immediately posted a status update on Facebook saying, "I'm going to kill myself." And his girlfriend was the last person he spoke with. The inquest found that his Facebook messages also revealed he was discussing about Declan Gateby, one his classmates, who committed suicide after an argument over his mobile phone.
His mother said she heard him talking to his friend out of the window around 4:20 pm but did not respond to her after she called him at around 5 p.m., reports the Daily Mail. Henry's sister went up to his room and found him hanging with the door open. The neighbors of the Tattresalls tried to revive him. He was rushed to Royal Blackbrun Hospital where he was declared dead at 6:30 p.m.
"I honestly believe that Henry was very shocked at the amount of money he had spent. He was very upset that I was upset, but didn't want to show it," Eve said during a court hearing. She also said that Henry was grounded for two weeks after she found him having cigarette, reports the Huffington Post.
It was also revealed that Henry had several behavioural issues and was also suffering from ADHD. His mother said that he had "extreme reactions" and that once he climbed the school roof, the Manchester Evening News reports. There was an improvement in his behavior after a change o f schools.
Coroner of Burney and Rossendale, Richard Taylor, said Henry's death was the "unexpected conclusion of an intended action." "I am always suspicious and skeptical as to the intentions of children, of such a young age, as to whether or not they actually understand what's going to happen to them. Leaving his door open? It strikes me that he had a very guilty conscience, but he clearly dwelt on this and was upset at what happened. Maybe the conversation on Facebook about Declan Gatenby's grave meant it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We will never know that," Taylor said.
"I believe that he hoped to make a point and expected to be found. I don't believe it was his intention to end his life," he said.
Henry's death was ruled as death by misadventure.
