‘schoolboy plunged to his death after viewing suicide posts online’

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk

thE tragiC death of southwark schoolboy Zaheid Ali highlighted the dangers of suicide posts online, as an inquest held last week relayed what the 13-yearold was viewing before he took his own life nearly two years ago.

“Very able” Zaheid Ali, a pupil at Ark Globe Academy in Elephant and Castle, threw himself off Tower Bridge after getting off a bus early on his way to school, on April 20, 2021.

In a parliamentary debate held this Monday, March 13, MPs urged the government to make suicide prevention teaching compulsory in schools.

Ark Globe Academy told the News it “continues to feel the impact of Zaheid’s tragic death” which has “affected our whole community” and grieving father Mumen Ali said at the coroner’s hearing that he was baffled as to why his beloved son took his own life.

Minutes after Zaheid entered the water bystanders threw lifebuoys, while others went to save him, but only managed to retrieve his coat and rucksack, after he was swept away by the currents.

Zaheid’s body was eventually pulled from the River Thames near a pub in Wapping eight days later. His disappearance into the murky waters of the Thames and the extensive search for his body sent shockwaves through local families and children.

At Inner South London Coroners’ Court last Friday, March 10, Zaheid’s suicide note containing the lyrics from a Japanese song about a fourteen-yearold who kills herself was relayed to the court.

Zaheid had also followed someone in the US who had killed themselves, posted a “countdown” to his suicide on YouTube, and written about his desire to kill himself on Twitter, the hearing was told.

In WhatsApp messages exchanged with friends from March 2021, found after he’d died, Zaheid had written “I hate life at the moment and kind of want to give up”, and other similar messages. His father Mumen told the inquest he was “baffled” by what had happened to his son – who was born prematurely and suffered from a digestive disorder called internal malabsorption – as his behaviour had appeared normal.

He said his son had become “glued to his phone” and “stuck in his bedroom” in the Easter holidays prior to killing himself.

“We put it down to his hormones changing from being a boy to being a man,” he said.

The hearing heard how Zaheid “appeared to enjoy studying” in Year 7 but that he’d struggled to engage with school work when lockdown began.

Una Sookun, vice-principal of the Ark Globe Academy told the court he was “academically very able” but “quiet” with a “very small friendship group”.

The inquest comes amid growing concern about the impact social media and successive covid-19 lockdowns have had on children’s mental health.

Under the national curriculum, guidance on relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education does not explicitly recommend teaching about suicide awareness.

This is despite the fact that suicide and intentional self-harm is the third most common cause of death among young people aged ten to nineteen, after accidents and cancer.

On Monday, March 14, MPs debated an e-petition demanding the government considers making suicide prevention lessons compulsory in schools.

The petition was started by three dads whose daughters committed suicide. They walked 600 miles between all four UK parliaments to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

During the debate, Duncan Baker, Conservative MP for North Norfolk, said “70 per cent of children and adolescents do not get appropriate interventions at an early enough age”.

He added: “To introduce statutory suicide prevention teaching within schools would not only target the group that is most affected by suicide… but also make sure our children are equipped as they move into adulthood.”

The News asked Ark Globe how the school was working with students to

Calls mount to make suicide prevention lessons compulsory in schools prevent future suicides.

In response, Matt Jones, Executive Principal of Ark Globe, said: “This has been a very distressing time, and our school continues to feel the impact of Zaheid’s tragic death. It has affected our whole community in many ways and we continue to reflect on how we can ensure our students always know they can talk to anyone about anything they need to in a safe environment.”

Alastair Smith-Agbaje, Chief Executive of the charity Lambeth and Southwark Mind told the News the demand for the NHS’s Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) had “phenomenally increased” in recent years.

He said Mind’s General Psychotherapy service worked with 25 per cent more clients this year than it did before the pandemic, which includes both adults and children.

Since Zaheid’s death, the charity has formed Suicide Bereavement Service