A bright A-level student took his own life after he was falsely accused of being a rapist and a sex offender, an inquest has heard.
Jay Cheshire, 17, was left “distraught” and unable to cope with the pressure having been denounced to police by an anonymous complainant, who withdrew her claims within days.
The “well-liked and mature” student, who had dreamed of becoming a writer or a history teacher, was found after hanging himself just weeks after police formally dropped their probe.
He died on July 5 of this year, two days after being discovered unconscious in a Southampton park by dog walkers.
An inquest into his death at Winchester Coroner’s Court heard Jay struggled to deal with the false accusations and was “absolutely distraught” at the police investigation.
The sixth-former at Bitterne Park School, Southampton, was studying English Literature, Film Studies and Geography, and also enjoyed computer games.
The inquest was told Jay had a history of having a low mood, was put on anti-depressants and recommended a course of cognitive behavioural therapy.
He had visited a psychiatrist since the age of 13, but in March of this year his state of mind drastically improved leading to doctors to agree that CBT was no longer urgently needed.
However in May, Jay’s family contacted medics once more, saying his mental wellbeing had declined because of the police investigation.
On June 24, just over a week before he was found hanging from a tree, he told psychiatrists at the Orchard Centre in Southampton that the investigation was over and he was looking for a job.
But within days, he had taken his own life.
Senior Coroner Grahame Short recorded a verdict of suicide and said Jay must have struggled to cope with the false claims made against him.
He said: “I got the impression he was well-liked and mature in some ways, but was a sensitive young man and vulnerable in some respects and he found it difficult to cope with the police investigation.”
Jay’s distraught mother, Karin Cheshire, said that the allegation was a factor in his death and that the alleged victim also falsely claimed he was a sex offender.
Mrs Cheshire, 54, said of the complainant: “She accused him of rape and said he was a sexual offender.
“He was absolutely distraught. Two weeks later she said she withdrew the allegations.
“He was a wonderful young man with a great love of history.”
Olivia Murphy, head of sixth form at Bitterne Park School, described Jay, who was a student ambassador, as a hard-working teenager who had “embraced” sixth form life. School friends shared their grief on social media, with one writing: “I never forget you.”
Another classmate wrote: “Jay was an amazing human being and there was never a time where we didn’t have a laugh, I’m gonna miss your witty little quotes and all the banter we had during game night.”
Jay took to a picture-sharing social media site to complain of insomnia in the weeks before his death, ominously writing: “Wish I could get one good night’s sleep…haven’t had that for a long time.”
When a friend jokingly advised he stop using the computer before bed, he replied: “If only it was that simple a problem in my life.”
He then posted a photograph of a dark Southampton street, writing: “Decided to go on an early morning walk, to clear my head.” Jay also left a note for his family and one in his sixth-form locker.
Daily Mail