Hum Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 A jeering crowd taunted a suicidal teenager as he threatened to jump from the top of a city-centre car park. In a shocking indictment of modern Britain, youths who gathered in the street below yelled at 17-year-old Shaun Dykes to kill himself over the course of three hours. One allegedly shouted: 'How far can you bounce?' The A-level student eventually plunged 60ft to his death after police negotiators tried in vain to talk him down. In a final sickening act, some of those responsible for the abuse outside the Westfield shopping centre in Derby rushed from behind the police cordon to take pictures of the teenager's body on their mobile phones. :no: Yesterday police branded the mob's behaviour at the scene of Saturday's tragedy a 'shocking reflection on society'. Superintendent Andy Hough, of Derbyshire police, said he was 'disturbed' by some of the comments aimed at the teenager, who is believed to have suffered from depression and also to have been upset at the breakdown of a relationship. People were at the police cordon shouting for the man to jump,' Superintendent Hough said. 'I find it a disturbing and shocking reflection on society when people feel inclined to do that. 'Negotiators were working with the man threatening to jump and it was their job to talk to him in the hope of changing his mind. 'We really need the public to work with us, not against us. It was a very disappointing situation.' Shaun, from Kilburn, near Derby, had climbed over a railing on the top floor of the car park, which is above the busy shopping mall. Police cordoned off the pavement on the car park side, but pedestrians were still able to walk down the opposite pavement, and crowds formed. A shopkeeper who witnessed the incident said groups of youths were responsible for shouting at Shaun as he was sitting on the edge of the roof. 'Quite a few people were hanging around watching what was happening and the police were telling them to move on,' he said. 'Most just stopped for a few minutes and then left. 'But there were some people shouting things like "Jump" and "Get on with it!" They were teenagers with nothing better to do who seemed to think it was funny. 'When he fell, lots of people were screaming and crying but there were several groups of youths who ran from behind the cordon and looked like they were taking pictures with their mobile phones. 'I found that sickening - why would anyone want to take pictures of something like that?' The Mayor of Derby, Councillor Barbara Jackson, called on the those responsible for goading Shaun to 'learn some respect', while the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Rev Dr Alastair Redfern, said he was 'horrified'. Mike Shewan, chief executive of Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, said: 'We can't condemn this sort of behaviour strongly enough. 'No one knows what was going on in his head, but encouraging him to jump is so wrong. It is hindering the police and the people who care from doing their job.' Yesterday Shaun's parents, who are separated, were too distraught to talk about their only child. His mother, Joy, lives with partner Kevin Lacey in Kilburn. He said Shaun would be 'so sadly missed'. Flowers and tributes were left at the spot where he died. Lindsey Reid, 17, Shaun's best friend, said: 'He was the joker and smiled all the time. He was so funny and everyone knew him because he was so popular.' On his MySpace web page, the teenager said he hoped to work in accounting, and that he wanted to die 'quietly' when the time came. The former John Flamsteed School pupil was studying at the Heanor Gate Science College, in Heanor, Derbyshire. Heanor Gate head teacher Rob Howard said some students who had witnessed the tragedy were being offered counselling. He added: 'At least one of our students also witnessed the shocking encouragement of Shaun to jump and was both horrified and angry. 'I sometimes wonder what value some people put on human life.' Mr Howard said Shaun had ' personal issues' out of school. Derbyshire police referred Shaun's death to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which has decided not to investigate. Officers will carry out their own inquiry and an inquest will be held later. A force spokesman said: 'A small minority of onlookers - mainly other youths - were the ones shouting the abuse. It is a very sad state of affairs.' He had no knowledge of anybody taking pictures of Shaun after he fell and said the cordon was designed to restrict access to the street, whilst 'minimising disruption for shoppers'. Nobody was likely to be arrested as a result of the abuse directed at Shaun, he added. source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Gary7 Subscriber² Posted October 1, 2008 Subscriber² Share Posted October 1, 2008 One allegedly shouted: 'How far can you bounce?' That is disgusting. No one cares anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numpad Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 surely they should be charged with murder/manslaughter as those comments could of convinced him to end his life?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PermaSt0ne Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 (edited) parents = fail now days <snipped> there's this thing called empathy, the ability to put yourself into someone elses shoes. you need to learn it instead of thinking that your narrow minded views should be used to judge every person on this planet Edited October 2, 2008 by Triliaeris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houlty Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 One allegedly shouted: 'How far can you bounce?' that line would be quite funny in a black comedy, but obviously not in real life. its a shame that people feel that this is their only option. depression is a strange thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Veteran Posted October 1, 2008 Veteran Share Posted October 1, 2008 How sad... Why were there no responsible humans there beating the jeerers with baseball bats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munkyman Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 That line seemed way too good for the kind of person who would actually say it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph B Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Disgusting. Stories like this makes me ponder if humans even have the right to walk this planet anymore. I sometimes pray that those 2012 Doomsday theories come true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 How sad... Why were there no responsible humans there beating the jeerers with baseball bats? ^ An odd thought, but interesting. :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azusa Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 (edited) No he is a coward for running away and not seeking help to deal with his problems and further more he is selfish because the amount of disruption he most likely caused that day and the fact now a few dozen people now need therapy after seeing such a sight. Also this is Britain we're very apathetic. Edited October 2, 2008 by Triliaeris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Hum would be right there, trying to catch Shaun. :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrack Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Yuk...bad bad bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakey_snake Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i was at that point once until i learned how to take S*** and not let it affect me because you know something life is full of it and that's just one of the things you have to learn at school because if you can't handle it at school where there are people to help you and support you be they friends or family then you don't have a chance in hell of handling life. School is meant to turn you from a spoiled brat into a man and you know something? society is lacking men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azusa Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oh back to the chanology with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Symons Veteran Posted October 2, 2008 Veteran Share Posted October 2, 2008 That is disgusting. No one cares anymore. I agree. That is awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperAFK Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 ****ing sick, what is wrong with these people? How could you possible cheer for someone to leap to their death, This kind of news just sickens me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fr33k Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 They would be called sociopaths for their lack empathy, or guilt 1. Callous unconcern for the feelings of others and lack of the capacity for empathy. 2. Gross and persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, rules, and obligations. 3. Incapacity to experience guilt and to profit from experience, particularly punishment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissocial_personality_disorder I wonder what their parents would say? Parent: Hi son how was your day? child: Great! me and some friends yelled at some kid who was suicidal telling him to jump until he did, and then after the loud smack from the impact and his skull fracturing like a coconut we hopped, and skipped our way over to his dying body, and we took pictures with our cell phones. Isn't that cooooool? parent: :no: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Veteran Posted October 2, 2008 Veteran Share Posted October 2, 2008 ^ An odd thought, but interesting. :unsure: Sorry, I just think that anyone that treats other people like that needs a strong dose of 'upside de head.' :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis W. Veteran Posted October 2, 2008 Veteran Share Posted October 2, 2008 Anyone want to guess the social grouping of those jeerers? :rolleyes: This is just disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~WinGz~ Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I find the people sick and disgusting for their actions. Depending on laws, there in the UK, they could be arrested because it is assisted suicide if I recall. Also, this thread isn't a debate on suicide guys, If you know absolutely nothing about what a suicidal person feels, then you cannot speak of them being a coward. Suicidal people usually make efforts on getting help but usually feel ignored and alone. Therefore getting help for their pain usually ends in more pain for them, so their coping doesn't catch up and then they break down, and attempt suicide. Most suicidal people usually can be talked out of the situation when they know someone genuinely cares. But with people like that, they feel it's better to just spite them and end their lives. No parents really aren't to blame for a suicidal persons actions. Suicide is a mental breakdown of coping mechanisms, not a fault in a parents skills of taking care of their child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goji Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Some of you are forgetting a very powerful social force that can help and hinder organizations or groups of people: group think. Someone started jeering and no one willing to be ridiculed by their peers agreed with the initiator. Group think is a very powerful phenomena as we can obviously see. People do give up their values when confronted with a situation of conformity and will merely go along for the ride. I'm sure if you interviewed anyone of them before and after this instance occurred some would claim they would never do such a thing to a fellow human being contemplating suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunna Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Nobody was likely to be arrested as a result of the abuse directed at Shaun, he added. This is wrong, they should be charged with anything and everything that could possibly stick. It might not be murder but they definitely pushed the lad to jump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.KICK Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 That is pretty sick, those people telling him to jump should be ashamed of themselves :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmatic Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 (edited) i kind of like to bring up the point that the people from Sunderland here are making, by assuming that he is a 'coward' had Shaun not jumped, would the people who were jeeing him not label him as a 'coward' as well? in my point of view, i find it very hard to believe that the jeerers would suddenly turn around and pat him on the back for not jumping, seeing that they took pictures of his dead body... so i conclude, and i am confident that Shaun did too, a coward for jumping, a coward for not, the final 3 hours of his life must have been the most confusing ::edit:: as an aside, to those of you who think that a person should already know who to listen to, what is to tell me that i should agree with the views of people on the forum (coward for jumping) as opposed to the crowd on the street (jump! jump! jump!) Edited October 2, 2008 by carmatic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konstanov Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 They should all be charged with Conspiracy to commit murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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