A teenager who committed suicide by jumping from a car park was told to stop wasting police resources, the Pink Paper can reveal.
Shaun Dykes, 17, who died on 27 September last year, was ready to step back to safety before the taunts of the mob below became too much to bear. Harrowed police officer
Detective Inspector Barry Thacker, who had been talking to Dykes for an hour and a half, witnessed the youth plunge to his death.
“I had been sat with my arms out towards Shaun. He bent down to reach down to my hand when there was a shout of ‘You’re wasting taxpayers’ money’.
He stood up, said it had gone too far, then prepared to jump by counting down. “My colleague tried to get him to re-engage [with us]. At that moment I thought he was going to come back down but he declined, closed his eyes and threw himself off.”
The baying crowd below, not content with driving a young boy to suicide, also filmed the tragedy on their mobile phones, an inquest heard. This footage was later posted on Facebook and YouTube before police requested it be removed.
Assistant Deputy Coroner Louise Pinder said: “It’s inconceivable that, whilst negotiators were talking with Shaun, these mindless people were behaving with such insensitivity and without any apparent concern for a human being’s safety.
“The individuals who were recording Shaun at that time, whose identities remain unknown, are responsible, at least in part, for his death.”
Dykes had previously attempted two overdoses and was suffering from depression. It is believed he had broken up with his boyfriend five days before the incident.
Catherine Brooks, a clinical specialist who had cared for Dykes, described him as a “lovely, capable, straight-A student with a bright future”.
Police had previously stated there hadn’t been enough officers to keep the crowd under control, and as such the baiters were neither stopped nor apprehended for their despicable behaviour.
Meanwhile, one tribute group to the teen on Facebook had to be closed due to the number of inappropriate messages left by a minority of users.