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Lad Hanged Himself Just Hours After Mum Asked Him To Contribute To Rent

Lad Hanged Himself Just Hours After Mum Asked Him To Contribute To Rent

Tragic story.

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay

A teenager hanged himself hours after his mum text him asking for rent.

Elliot Stapleton-Giddins, 18, lived with his mum, Tracy, in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, the Sun reports.

An inquest heard Ms Stapleton-Giddins had sent him a text one evening saying: "You need to pay £200 a month. The other rooms are £500 so it seems like a fair deal."

The next morning, on October 2, 2016, she found his body in his bedroom.


Credit: Facebook

Speaking to the inquest, she said: "It wasn't about the money though, it was about him being a bit more responsible,

"He had previously said he understood and that he had been waiting for the conversation to come up."

Elliot was working 50 hours a week at a high-end restaurant and had saved around £2,500. The inquest heard that he had planned to spend this on going travelling.


Elliot with girlfriend, Lily. Credit: Facebook

Speaking of finding her son's body, she said: "I was totally shocked,

"I shouldn't have texted him, I should have spoken to him in person but I don't think that was the reason."

Detective Constables Amanda Banfield and Dave Brandon, of Thames Valley Police, were in attendance when Elliot was pronounced dead.

In a joint statement they said: "[Girlfriend] Lily had been in text contact with him until 2am. Lily said he had been a bit upset about his mother's text but she had managed to bring him around."

Elliot had spoken to his GP, Dr Shivantha Shunmugarutnam, a year before his death and discussed plans to join the Army. Dr Shunmugarutnam said: "The last conversation I had with him I remember him talking about feeling low in the previous five or six months,

"I had the impression that something was going on at school. He told me about being in the combined cadet force and he talked about joining the Army."


Credit: Facebook

Pathologist, Dr Angus Molyneux, examined the post-mortem examination and said that the cause of death was ligature around the neck. However, coroner Elizabeth Gray said that there was a lack of evidence for a suicide conclusion.

Addressing his family, she said: "It doesn't seem to me that there was anything of any significance from what you've told me

"We all know about the text but there's nothing to suggest it was of any great significance.

"Because of all that evidence and nothing significant, in order for me to find that Elliot took his own life I would have to find he intended to do so beyond all reasonable doubt - but from what I have heard I don't have that evidence.

"We have a series of small incidents over time and a family reporting that generally Elliot was on an even keel. He was a sensitive person but nothing to suggest that this was intended on October 2.

"The conclusion that I will draw therefore is an open conclusion. We don't have evidence either way that Elliot intended to take his own life."

We'll never know what caused Elliot to take his life that evening, but please remember that suicide is the number one killer of males under the age of 45 in the UK and males are three times more likely to kill themselves than women.

There's plenty of help out there, so, please, if you're feeling down and can't see a way out talk to someone. You can speak to the guys over at The CALMzone who offer amazing support to anyone when things get tough.

The helpline and web chat service are open 5pm to midnight, every day of the year. Nationwide: 0800 58 58 58; London: 0808 802 58; Webchat: www.thecalmzone.net/get-help

You can contact the Samaritans on a Freephone number - 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]

Don't suffer in silence.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook

Topics: Feels, rent