06/05/2014 East Midlands Today

report from South Africa, on the impact of the long-running Oscar

Pistorius And now the news for the East

Midlands, I'm Anne Davies. A coroner has recorded a suhcide

A coroner has recorded a suicide verdict on a Leicestershire teenager

whose death sparked a huge debate about online bullying. 14`year`old

about online bullying. 14`ydar`old Hannah Smith was found hanged at her

Hannah Smith was found hangdd at her home in Lutterworth last year.

home in Lutterworth last ye`r. Today's inquest was told there was

Today's inquest was told thdre was no evidence that she'd been

victimised by cyber bullies. Victoria Hicks reports.

Today's inquest heard how H`nnah Smith was a bright, polite popular

teenager but her father, David Smith, seen arriving at today's

Smith, seen arriving at tod`y's inquest on the far right, told how

his daughter had been bullied inquest on the far right, told how

his daughter had been bullied from the age of 12 by different children,

mainly because of her eczema. the age of 12 by different children,

mainly because of her eczema. Hannah Smith was found hanged in hdr

bedroom by her sister in August last year. At the time her father said

the 14`year`old had killed herself after being bullied online on the

social networking site, Ask FM. He called for the owners of thd site to

face criminal charges. That led to a complex police investigation which

found messages on Hannah Smhth's account which today were described

as vile and amounted to crilinal as vile and amounted to crilinal

harassment. On investigating those postings, the police found the only

person who could have made them was Hannah Smith herself. The court

heard that neither the police nor Hannah Smith's school had been aware

Hannah Smith's school had bden aware of the bullying or self harm

Hannah Smith's school had been aware of the bullying or self harl which

of the bullying or self harm which she had spoken about to her family.

Today they left the court upset and didn't want to be interviewdd. The

didn't want to be interviewed. The court heard evidence of Hannah

Smith's suicidal thoughts and intentions but summing up the

coroner, Catherine Mason, said intentions but summing up the

coroner, Catherine Mason, said her school and her family could not have

known what she was about to do that morning and on hearing all the facts

the coroner recorded a verdhct morning and on hearing all the facts

the coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.

Earlier I spoke to Jon Brown who's from the children's charity, the

NSPCC. I began by asking him how common are cases like this?

We're not aware at the NSPCC of a case like this previously where

someone has sent themselves bullying messages. It clearly indicates a

high degree of upset and distress on the part of Hannah and clearly it

seems she was using a social networking site as a platform for a

cry for help. It almost seels networking site as a platform for a

cry for help. It almost seems quite cry for help. It almost seels quite

a dangerous thing that somebody in that state uses the Internet.

Increasingly, children and xoung Increasingly, children and xoung

people are living significant proportions of their lives online

and the difference between life online and off`line is increasingly

online and off`line is incrdasingly becoming kind of quite blurred and

quite irrelevant, I think, increasingly for children and young

people. In a sense it was perhaps people. In a sense it was perhaps

quite understandable and quite normal that Hannah would take to

online to ventilate her feelings of upset and distress. Very briefly,

upset and distress. Very brhefly, where parents might normally pick

where parents might normallx pick things up in real life, what should

they be doing to make sure their children aren't expressing their

cries for help online, which they are unaware of? It's really

important to try to keep channels of important to try to keep ch`nnels of

communication open between parents and children. Parents need to feel

enabled and supported to know how to have that conversation with their

children, how to keep that conversation open to ensure they are

OK, they are feeling OK, whdther that is online or off`line. I think

it's also a big important role for industry, for social networking

sites to keep an eye on what is going on on their sites and for a

really strongly lead from government, as well. Indeed, Jon we

will leave it there, thank xou very will leave it there, thank you very

much. The body of an RAF officer from

Leicestershire, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, has

helicopter crash in Afghanistan has been repatriated. Flight Lieutenant

Rakesh Chauhan was among five servicemen who

their Lynx helicopter crashed in what the Ministry of Defencd

their Lynx helicopter crashdd in what the Ministry of Defence has

what the Ministry of Defencd has described as a tragic accident.

Quentin Rayner reports. Shortly after 1:30pm this afternoon,

the servicemen came home. As a C`17 transport plane flew in frol Camp

Bastion and touched down at Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire. Slowly and

with great care and dignity, each of the five coffins were carridd off

the aircraft by a bearing party. the aircraft by a bearing p`rty

Investigations continue into how they lost their lives when a

Investigations continue into how they lost their lives when ` Lynx

they lost their lives when a Lynx helicopter they were travelling in

crashed last month. Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan w`s an

crashed last month. Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan was an RAF

intelligence officer whose family run a sari business in Leicester.

intelligence officer whose family run a sari business in Leicdster. He

run a sari business in Leicester. He was described as charismatic, loyal

and an exceptional officer. capital. Don't miss it on your local

BBC radio station from 6pm. We've had some fairly pleasant we`ther

over the last couple of days, good timing for the bank holiday at the

best is now behind us as it is getting wetter. Tomorrow's rain will

be in the form of showers btt getting wetter. Tomorrow's rain will

be in the form of showers but there be in the form of showers but there

will be some brighter bits. We have seen few showers this evening and

are few more will come in in the early hours of the morning. The

breeze. To pick up. It is a mild night and temperatures down to nine

or 10 degrees. Tomorrow, bright night and temperatures down to nine

or 10 degrees. Tomorrow, brhght and breezy start. There will be showers

around first thing and those breezy start. There will be showers

around first thing and thosd may well merge to become quite a wet

day. The best chance of any bright weather will be across southern part

of Leicestershire and it will be cooler thanks to the breeze and 15

or 16 degrees. The outlook stays pretty unsettled. That is it. Good

night. on Friday as well. I rather wet

start the weekend and it will be blustery during the week. As you may

have just heard, our weather is taking a turn for the worse. Some

lovely weather on the Spanish Costas. We leave that behind and

find low-pressure close by the British Isles. Behind