Teenager Hangs Himself After Listening To Music That Glorified Death

A schoolboy killed himself after listening to death metal music on his iPod, an inquest has heard.

Truman Edley, who was just 15 at the time of his death, hanged himself in the hallway of the family home in Rotherham after he had been listening to the violent music.

A coroner refused to name the band he was listening to or publish the extreme lyrics which formed part of the evidence at the inquest in Rotherham.

The official also noted that Truman had been suffering from a number of problems, and his mother said that he had 'self-esteem' issues.

The teenager, who was named after American indie band Trumans Waters, frequently listened to death metal through headphones.'

She discovered his body at their home in November 2011, two months after she had found him sobbing in his bedroom wardrobe.

On another occasion, she found scratches on his arm - he said that he had done it while messing around in the woods, but two friends asked him to visit a youth support service, fearing he had been self-harming.

Mrs Edley described her son as 'loving' and said he was fiercely protective of his loved ones.

'He was one of the most kind, loving and caring people,' she said. 'We told each other that we loved each other every day.

'He became a stereotypical teenager, like the Harry Enfield character Kevin. He was more interested in spending time with friends and took increasing pride in his appearance.'

But she added: 'His self-esteem was low. He didn't like himself or they way he looked very much. On the outside he showed a lot of confidence, but on the inside he was a lot more sensitive.'

Coroner Fred Curtis, who recorded a verdict of suicide at the inquest in Rotherham, commented on Truman's musical tastes saying: 'I'm not going to read the lyrics out, all I will say about them is they are extremely dark in content.

'They certainly deal with dark matters and, in some respects, seem to glorify death to some degree.

'It's also the view of the police officers in this case and Truman's mother who, not surprisingly was unaware of the content until after his death.

'Whatever the influences, I think it right that one can say there was no appreciation by anyone of the extent of his troubles and problems.

'There may be other factors behind these problems but I think the only person who can answer for those is Truman himself.'

PC Glyn Farrell, who attended the scene of the death, said he was a fan of death metal but admitted it could be depressive.

'I do listen to that sort of music myself, which has a lot of screaming with heavy guitar sounds,' he told the hearing. 'It can have an effect on people.'

Det Sgt Peter Hogson told the coroner: 'There seemed to be two Trumans. The outgoing one was a happy, bubbly joker who would make people laugh, was very well-liked and had a wide group of good friends.

'But then there seemed to be another, more fragile and sensitive individual who kept things from his family and bottled them up.'

Toxicology tests came back negative, and although a scribbled note was found at the scene it was unclear when it had been written.

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