A girl of 15 who was besotted with her first love jumped to
her death from a 100ft monument after they had an argument, an inquest heard.
Ashli Cook’s boyfriend Marcus Webb, 20, found her body at
the foot of the Sir Eyre Coote Monument.She had sent him a text message saying "I am going to
jump off the tower. If we can't be together I can't be with anyone".Marcus told the hearing: “Her lips were blue. I started
nudging and shaking her but she wasn’t moving. I was screaming for help.”
He had gone looking for Ashli, who had a history of mental
illness, after she stormed off declaring: “I’m going to f****** kill myself.”Mr Webb said he had visited the tower several times with
Ashli and it was where they had taken their photograph together when they
started going out three years earlier.The young couple had spent the day before together but broke
into an argument over their relationship, Winchester Coroner's Court, Hants,
heard. He called the police and when officers and paramedics arrived at the
scene around 2.30am on September 21, there was nothing they could do to save
her.
Marcus said: "I feel so guilty and I feel it's all my
fault. She told me she
was going to kill herself and I did nothing about it."She meant more than life itself to me and I'm feeling
now there is no point in me being here anymore."A statement from mother Canasta Blake, 37, who has another
daughter and a son, told how the young couple had made plans for the rest of
their lives together.
"I do not understand why she did this, she had
everything to live for and often spoke of the future," said Ms Blake."I think, for her age, she was immature, in her
laughing, giggling and making up silly words. Ashli was a lovely young girl,
was imaginative, different and quirky, she had her own special dress sense."She would have grown up to be a lovely person."
She said Ashli had suffered from some bullying problems with
other girls at her school, The Burgate School in Fordingbridge, but she had not
expressed any wish not to attend school because of this and was working hard at
her studies.Ms Blake added that Ashli had told family members she wanted
to become an art therapist or an accountant.Ashli's GP, Dr Charlotte Hillsley, at Fordingbridge Surgery,
said she had suffered from low moods and sleeping problems.She had previously been referred to the Hampshire Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) but had been discharged. But in July
2014 she had returned to the surgery and was referred again to Camhs and was
placed on its waiting list.
In a statement read to the inquest, Dr Hillsley said:
"Ashli had low mood and poor sleep and was struggling with bullying at
school."Her mother had told me she had removed razor blades
from the house and taken them to work with her because she was concerned that
she may self-harm."Central Hampshire Coroner Grahame Short recorded a verdict
that Ashli took her own life on September 21.He said: "Ashli was a deeply troubled girl but I find
that she chose to end her life on this occasion."He added: "It's clear that she had a boyfriend, Marcus
Webb, and I find that she was very much in love with him to a degree that only
a teenager can be."
The Eyre Coote monument was erected in 1828 to commemorate
Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote (1726-1783), who is best known for his role
as a senior officer in the British Army in India.
Via mirror uk
No comments:
Post a Comment