Yet Another Bullying Tragedy: Suicide Claims Stonewall Hero of the Year

The father of a bullied British teen who committed suicide in 2010 has himself ended his own life, an inquest has found.

55-year-old Roger Crouch had become a strong advocate against anti-gay bullying after his 15-year-old son, Dominic, jumped from a building near his school in Gloucestershire in May 2010. The younger Crouch had become the victim of taunts and rumors after kissing a boy during a game on a school trip.

The elder Crouch subsequently became a vocal campaigner against homophobic bullying, and last November 3 was given the Hero of the Year award by the UK’s Stonewall organization.

Less than a month later, Crouch was found hanging from a noose by his wife Paola. She later agreed with psychiatrists that her husband ultimately had been overcome by grief at the loss of their son.

“I think it’s what you might call in an old fashioned way, a broken heart,” she told the Gloucester Coroners Court.

Image via Crouch family