England: Girl Commits Suicide out of Fear of Being Called "Racist"

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/lifestyle/schoolgirl-killed-herself-over-fears-of-online-backlash-over-racially-offensive-instagram-snap/news-story/afc9a9cd243c10c416a35cb78ddef512

A TEENAGER committed suicide after becoming concerned about an offensive photograph she had taken being shared online.

Phoebe Connop, 16, had been speaking regularly online with a man who she called her boyfriend despite the two having never met.

An inquest in the UK heard she shared an edited picture of herself where her skin tone had been darkened as she wore a scarf wrapped around her head in a private Instagram chat with pals.

The schoolgirl Curry loving race traitor said to friends that is what she would have to look like to get approval from her "boyfriend's" parents.

But a coroner was told the image was then taken out of the private chat and spread wider by one of her friends, prompting Phoebe into fearing a backlash.

Black Country Coroners Court heard Phoebe had been working with her father Laurence, 53, to get some money for her summer holidays on July 7 this year.

He had taken her home early due to her feeling unwell but tragically found his daughter's body when he returned after work expecting to find her ready to go for a meal.

Just days early on July 2 the award-winning gymnast had posted pictures of her school leavers prom on her Facebook page.

Giving evidence at the inquest, which was held on Friday, Detective Sergeant Katherine Tomkins, from West Midlands Police, said: "From speaking to her friends in the weeks following her death, we discovered that the image had circulated further than she wanted it to.

"There had been some negative reaction and she confided in her friend, who did take the image down at her request, that she was scared of what the reaction might be from the Asian community in her area."

The inquest heard Phoebe, who lived in Halesowen, West Midlands, was a talented gymnast who had ambitions of becoming a midwife.

Her family found a "wish list" in her bedroom following her death which listed that she wished to study at sixth form.

Her dad Laurence Connop told the inquest said: "She was a lovely girl who would never want to cause offence to anyone.

"She had shown me no indication in the weeks leading up to her death that there was anything wrong, let alone anything that would lead her to do this."

Why would you be driven to kill yourself over something so silly?