Inside The South Wales Suicide Cult

Bridgend coroner Phillip Walters has revealed 12 young people
have hanged themselves in the past year.

Twelve kids, aged between 17 and 27, from South Wales have killed themselves within the past year and now people are thinking it may be some sort of suicide pact since all the victims knew one another from a MySpace copycat site called Bebo.

It is very strange that there have been so many suicides in the small town of Bridgend whose population is less than 40,000. Bridgend has gained notoriety as the suicide capital of Britain.

There are 12 young men and one young woman involved and all were found dead hanging.

James Knight, 26, hanged himself from a belt during a heavy drinking session after a painful break-up with his girlfriend.

Andrew O'Neill, 20, died after being convicted of drink-driving and assaulting a police officer.

Jason Williams, 21, only months before he was due to marry. His bride-to-be said she was mystified by his suicide.

Natasha Randall was found hanged last week.

Leah Phillips was moments away from death when her stepfather found her hanging by a rope from the banister of their home in Bridgend, 24 hours after her 17-year-old friend Natasha took her life.

Another 15-year-old girl, also a friend of Natasha's, was recovering in the hospital after slitting her wrists on the same day.



South Wales Police fear they are being driven by a desire to achieve prestige by having a memorial website set up in their name on Bebo. After their deaths a special site is set up where friends can leave messages, photographs and videos. Not unlike the disturbing yet curiously hypnotic, MyDeathSpace.

Within hours of Natasha Randall's death, a tribute site "R.I.P. Tasha" had sprung up. With 345 members, it has been viewed more than 2,100 times so far. Y'know, in case you wanna advertise.

I think we've all fantasized at some point as to what our funerals would be like; who would come, what would they say, what would they remember about us, who would be distraught, who wouldn't even show, etc. Everyone has thought about looking in from the outside at one time or another and peering in on a world now spinning without you. But killing yourself for a fucking tribute page on a wanna-be MySpace? C'mon now, kids.

Then again, have you ever been to Bridgend, South Wales? Yeah, neither has the sun.