An inquest has heard that a 15-year-old schoolboy said ‘goodbye’ to friends via Snapchat, before committing suicide after struggling to cope days into the first coronavirus lockdown. Kian Southway was a talented kickboxer. The 15-year-old posted the message saying ‘Goodbye everyone’ before he hung himself at his family home in Treorchy, Rhondda.
Kian’s younger sister was alerted to his social media post by friends and then his parents rushed to check on Kian in March last year. However, tragically the teenager was found hanged. Kian was rushed to hospital where his condition declined, and he died four days later. An inquest at Pontypridd has been told that Kian had been missing his friends and school due to lockdown and was worried about not sitting his exams.
A girl that Kian had been close with has told the inquiry ‘I last saw Kian the weekend prior to his death. We had a bit of a tiff, but I wouldn’t say it was a fight or an argument. I wouldn’t always reply straight away to Kian’s messages, but I didn’t reply to anyone else’s either. I found out what had happened on March 27. I was forwarded a Snapchat story’.
Jolene Southway was Kian’s Mum. She has said: ‘Kian was bright, he was popular, and he was a joy to teach. He loved school and he loved being out with the boys. He always had A*s and As but when he got results, he did get some Bs. We probably did give him a little bit of a hard time’.
South Wales Central coroner Thomas Atherton has recorded a conclusion of suicide. He has said: ‘It’s tragic when a young person dies but this is a greater tragedy when you take into account the circumstances of a young man with a loving family and close friends’.
Kian’s Mum Jolene has warned others to be aware of the dangers that lockdown poses. She has said: ‘We need people to know Kian wasn’t suffering from mental health issues, he wasn’t depressed. We need people to know how quickly this happens. I think he literally felt isolated from the world due to this Covid-19. Kian loved life. Boris Johnson announced lockdown on the Monday, and he was gone by Friday. The gremlin took hold, he kept saying he couldn’t wait for it to be over and that he wanted to fast forward it all’.
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Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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