Father blames bullies over death of Wolverhampton son, 14

And yesterday his father Nigel told an inquest that he believed his 14-year-old son killed himself after being picked on at school.

Mr Walters returned to the house where they lived in Valley Road, Park Village, Wolverhampton, after a shift at the packing company where he works, to hear music blaring from his son's window.

When he went upstairs to tell him to turn it down, he found Simon had hanged himself.

Mr Walters told an inquest in Smethwick that he had noticed a dramatic change in his son's behaviour in the months before his death, with the youngster becoming less and less talkative.

He said: "He changed from being a happy, happy boy to, like, sad and disconnected. He would tell me nothing.

"He used to enjoy telling jokes and doing magic tricks. He had a good sense of humour.

"We used to talk with each other but he stopped talking to me and used to shut himself in his room. He just went quiet and wouldn't tell me what was going on.

"It got to the stage when I was actually crying in front of him, saying 'Please tell me what's wrong.'

"Half my mind thought 'He's just going into becoming a teenager; it's the hormones'."

Mr Walters said that about three months before the tragedy on October 25, 2012, he had phoned Simon at school and heard other children calling him names and swearing at him in the background.

He said: "I confronted him on this but he just went quiet on me.

"In a later incident I noticed a lump on his head. When I confronted him about it he said a boy had hit him.

"He was shocked and traumatised really. He said he didn't want to go to school that day. He was actually shaking like a leaf and he was crying."

However, Black Country senior coroner Robin Balmain was told during the hearing that an extensive police investigation found no evidence to suggest that the Heath Park School pupil's decision to end his life was as a result of bullying, or that he was in fact being severely bullied at all.

Dc Kat Andrews, from Wolverhampton police station's child protection unit, said it had been nothing more than 'normal school behaviour', one source of the 'banter' being Simon's hair colour.

Headteacher Georgetta Holloway said there had been one report of Simon being hit at school, adding that he was a 'polite and positive young man' and had been given a string of awards for working well.

She told the hearing: "He was a popular young man but he was very much a young man. He was a joker. He had a strong circle of friends but he wasn't the sort to have lots of friends."

She added: "There was nothing specific that was reported. He did have a close relationship with his form tutor and his friends."

Mr Balmain recorded the cause of death as hanging and drew a conclusion that Simon killed himself. He said the only possible motive that had been suggested to him was bullying but added there was not enough clear evidence to substantiate the claim.

Mr Balmain told the hearing: "The police have carried out a very thorough investigation which included talking to Simon's close friends. I have got information from the headteacher at Simon's school, and that doesn't reveal anything untoward.

"There is not one word that suggests this was a problem for this young man, that he was being bullied. Whether he was or not is impossible to say.

"It is disappointing that despite the best efforts of his father, Simon wasn't able to open up. This is a tragedy for the family and for Simon's friends."

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Walters and other family members issued a plea for other parents to learn from their tragedy, calling for tighter restrictions on what youngsters can search for online after Simon used the internet to fuel his desire to kill himself.

Mr Walters said: "I want to warn parents they should be more aware of what their child is doing rather than just assume they are doing the right thing on the computer."

Simon's aunt, Helen Farley, said she believed there should be tighter regulations on websites to stop youngsters finding information to which they should not have access. Anyone who feels they need help can call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.