Teenager killed herself hours after telling mum she had been ‘betrayed’ by ChildLine for giving her details to police – The Sun
A girl of 16 killed herself hours after telling her mum she had been “betrayed by ChildLine” when they passed her confidential details to police, a court heard.
Jesse Walker contacted the counselling charity via a live chat service from her bedroom to confess she was having suicidal thoughts.
The ChildLine operator knew only that the teen was called Jesse and the family home was in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
When Jesse cut short the conversation ChildLine were so concerned for her welfare they contacted the National Crime Agency and asked them to trace the IP address of her computer, it was said.
They were able to track down her home address and a short time later a PC called at the house at 1.30am.
The officer checked she was in no immediate danger and left.
'CONFIDENCE BREACHED'
But when the teenager woke the following morning and discovered ChildLine had shared her details with police she was devastated, it was said.
Mum Heather told the hearing: “Jess was so angry that her confidence had been breached and the police had been around.
“She said she felt betrayed by ChildLine. She said she was tired and went back to sleep. She did not go to college that morning.”
When Heather returned in the evening she found Jesse hanging.
Paramedics made attempts to save her but she never regained consciousness and died later the same evening.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
Heather said no-one had told her daughter was a suicide risk and the "beautiful soul" had been a casualty of a “catalogue of errors” by those supposed to be supporting her.
Coroner Jonathan Heath recorded a narrative verdict that Jesse had been found dead by her mum after leaving suicide notes.
An NSPCC spokesman, which runs ChildLine, said: “This is terribly sad and our thoughts are with Jesse’s family. However, we cannot comment on individual cases.”
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