Bullied to death: Mum targets suicide websites

Shy Keenan and Tim Olson outside Chelmsford Civic Centre following an inquest into the death of their 14-year-old son

A MOTHER has called for suicide websites to be banned after an inquest heard her son researched how to take his own life on the internet after years of bullying.

Ayden Keenan-Olson, 14, was found dead in his bed by his father, Tim Olson, at the family home in Colchester, Essex, at 7.20am on March 14.

He had taken an overdose of prescription drugs and left two suicide notes outlining the homophobic and racist bullying he had experienced at the town’s Philip Morant School, an inquest in Chelmsford heard.

After his death, Ayden’s mother, author and prominent child abuse campaigner Shy Keenan, said he had been “bullied to death”.

A police investigation found that, in the month leading up to his death, Ayden had bypassed settings on his computer to research suicide methods on the internet.

Mrs Keenan told the inquest: “My job is to protect kids online but I could not keep my own son safe.”

Afterwards, she said she and fellow campaigner Dr Sara Payne would lobby for a new law to safeguard children online.

Saying she hoped to meet with Google bosses to discuss the issue, Mrs Keenan added: “We have to change the laws in this country to protect children.

“We must remove suicide websites from the internet - it’s got to happen. We can’t have young people taking their own lives whenever they face problems or difficulties.”

Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded that Ayden’s death was the result of suicide.

Mrs Beasley-Murray said it was not her job to attribute blame and she made no finding regarding bullying or the school’s conduct.