Pupil at top boarding school hanged herself hours after watching Channel 4 show starring Olivia Colman that featured suicide attempt
Devastated best friend said Rebecca Daley 'hugged her for longer than normal' after watching it and the next day was found dead
A PRIVATE boarding school student was tragically found dead just hours after she watched the last episode of a Channel 4 series featuring suicide and depression.
Rebecca Haley, a sixth form pupil at Gresham’s School in Holt, Norfolk, was found hanged in April this year, hours after viewing the last episode of Flowers, featuring actress Olivia Colman.
An inquest into the 18-year-old's death heard how she had been "upset and emotional" after watching the series - which shows one of the characters trying unsuccessfully to kill himself in the opening moments.
The "highly intelligent" teenager had suffered with depression since she was 13 and had tried to kill herself before.
Her best friend Hannah Rice told the inquest today that they had been watching Flowers - a black comedy shown on Channel 4 - the night before Miss Haley was found, reports the .
The girl's statement, read by area coroner Yvonne Blake, said: “The Friday night before her death we were both in the common room. We watched a programme called Flowers.”
She said the programme - which stars former Gresham’s pupil Olivia Colman - featured a man suffering with depression, and that at one point he attempted suicide.
But by the end of the series, where an episode was shown each night, he was much happier.
Miss Rice said they had both been upset by the emotive show, and Miss Haley - who was a prefect and keen artist - had hugged her for longer than usual.
But she said: “She did not tell me or indicate in any way she wanted to take her own life.”
Miss Rice last saw Miss Haley around 10.45pm as they were brushing their teeth.
Rebecca, who lived with her mother Patsy Haley in Barking, near Stowmarket, was found hanging in her room at Britten House when staff went to wake her up at 7.30am on April 30.
Related stories
Julie Simms, matron, said she hadn’t noticed any difference in Rebecca’s behaviour describing her as "a typical teenager who felt life was unfair, but had a sense of humour and would have a laugh."
The inquest was told how Rebecca had been referred to mental health services from the school’s medical centre but had asked that her family should not be told.
Ms Haley, 47, said in a statement that her daughter had never wanted to open up about her mental health issues.
The inquest, held in Norwich today, heard that she was separated from Rebecca’s father Julian Haley, 46, who lives in Jamaica.
Al Bailey, a deputy services manager at the trust, said a review after Rebecca’s death had found that she had received inadequate care as a care plan had not been drawn up and no risk assessment carried out for her, reports .
However, Patrick Draper, her case manager for the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust said he began dealing with Rebecca in May, 2015, for her depression.
She denied that she had any issue with bullying or difficulties at school, but she made him think that she had "a long standing issue" which she did not want to discuss.
Giving a narrative conclusion, Mrs Blake said she was not able to say Miss Haley had died due to suicide, as she had to be sure this was what she had wanted to do.
She added: “I am not satisfied to the criminal standard that Rebecca appreciated the consequences of her actions.
“I think there was a lot going on. She had seen a very emotional programme with her friend which had been on all week. It was noted by her friend that they were both upset by it. Her friend didn’t suffer from depression, but Rebecca did.
“She suffered from anxiety and low self esteem and her friend mentioned she was sad about leaving school.
“Traces of medication were found in her bloodstream which shows she was taking it, but we don’t know how often.
“It’s clear she was a highly intelligent girl. I get the impression that she thought very deeply about things. Intelligent people can over-think things.
“There was no note or any element of any planning. It was very sudden and I think she acted impulsively.”
If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story and need to talk, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 for free. You don’t have to give your real name or any personal information if you don’t want to.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368