A 13-year-old boy has committed suicide after being confronted over £420 Xbox bill

Henry Tattersall, from Rossendale, Lancashire, ran up the hefty bill on his mother's credit card - buying games for his Xbox console.

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by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

After being confronted by his parents, a 'shocked and upset' Henry ran to his bedroom, where he posted a message to Facebook saying: 'I'm going to kill myself.'

Just 15 minutes later, his sister found him hanging in his room.

The teenager was rushed to hospital but pronounced dead on arrival. The coroner ruled that he Henry intended to be discovered and did not plan to end his life.

Henry borrowed his mother's credit card in November last year and was discovered by his mother Eve.

Henry downloaded the games to his Xbox console
Henry downloaded the games to his Xbox console

When he returned home from Brambles East School in Darwen at 3.20pm, Ms Tattersall confronted her son about what he had done.

'I personally believe that Henry was very shocked at the amount of money he had spent. He was upset that I was upset,' said Ms Tattersall.

'We weren't in a position to be able to afford that amount of money,' she added.

Ms Tattersall said after her son did not respond to her calling him for dinner at 5pm, his sister Holly, 16, went to fetch him.

'Henry was very shocked at the amount of money he had spent. He was upset that I was upset'

His older sister found him hanging in his room with the bedroom door open. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, Henry was pronounced dead at 6.30pm.

Coroner Richard Taylor said he could not rule a verdict of suicide because he believed Henry wanted to be found.

'I am always suspicious and sceptical as to the intentions of children, of such a young age, as to whether or not they actually understand what's going to happen to them.'

'He hoped to make a point and expected to be found. I don't believe it was his intention to end his life.'

'I believe that he hoped to make a point and expected to be found. I don't believe it was his intention to end his life.'

Speaking on behalf of the family, Lee Johnson, Ms Tattersall's partner said: 'The Henry I'm holding onto is the one running up the front steps, face beaming, with two bags of Christmas shopping and his pupil of the week award.'

'[He] has left a massive hole in the family that cannot be filled.'

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