Like many twelve year-old boys, Riley Hadley was a “gentle caring young boy who struggled in large groups” as his mother Alison Holmes described him to Devon Live. Riley also had found himself being the target of bullying, starting in Year 7 at Sidmouth Community College in Sidmouth, England. Like many other young children, Riley also was starting to question his own sexuality during the months before his death, which many believe made him a target for those very bullies. Despite having his mother as a confidant, the bullying became so severe that Riley was forced out of school. In October 2019, after learning that he may have to return now to school, Riley Hadley took his own life in his bedroom at home.
During an inquest this past week, Riley’s mother Alison Holmes said regarding his death that he was “afraid to go to school and the local park in fear of being bullied” for over a year before his 2019 death. In October 2019, Holmes came home from work to discover Riley’s body cold after he hanged himself.
During the inquest, Devon Live reports that police interviewed nearly thirty children who knew Riley and the consistent themes were bullying, as he was conflicted about his sexuality and self-harm tendencies. One friend said Riley had claimed he had tried to hang himself previously, and another said Riley told him that he would not be around long. The inquest painted a dark picture of a young man in crisis, with bullies telling Riley in the past how they wished he were dead and at one point, one student reportedly telling the young boy to “do us all a favor and slit your wrists.”
LGBTQ Nation reported that on the day that Riley died, he had a doctor’s appointment, where he indicated that he was feeling “anxiousness” about a return to school. “He had a cry. We talked and he seemed a bit better,” his mother said about when they got back home from the doctor. His mother went to work and Riley proceeded to send a text to a friend that day that read, “I have to come back to school.” That was the last message he sent.
The Trevor Project offers a judgment-free place to talk for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386.
I am a middle grades teacher and I know from 8 years in the classroom that many times, most times really, that the victims of bullying seldom report the bullying to school officials because they fear retaliation from their tormentors. As a teacher, I made it very clear to my students that bullying, especially when it is done due to sexual orientation, would not be tolerated in my classroom, in my hallway, or in my school. I had many students come to me to report bullying and as a teacher I took made sure that those accused would be held accountable and disciplined them accordingly. I made sure to take the student who was bullied out of the equation and as a result, retaliation decreased significantly. The types of deaths do not need to happen. School officials MUST take a stand on this issue. It can be done with a unified expectation by all in the school.
This is so incredibly sad. How long is bullying like this going to continue to be ignored by school officials? He looked like he was a wonderful kid.
Makes me so sad to hear of all the gay boys commiting suicide from relentless bullying.