Latest Bridgend suicide 'not linked to other deaths'

Another teenage girl is thought to have hanged herself in a county blighted by suicide, it emerged today.

The 19-year-old was found at a house in Nantymoel, Bridgend, South Wales, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

There have been a further 13 suspected suicides in the Bridgend county in the past 12 months.

A South Wales Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics were called to a property in Commercial Street at about 12.55am on Monday.

The teenager was unconscious and was not breathing when they arrived, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The spokeswoman said: "We believe it was a hanging."

Police said they are not linking the death to other apparent suicides of young people under the age of 26 in the area.

A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the sudden death of a 19-year-old woman in the Nantymoel area of Bridgend at around 1am on Monday, February 4.

"There were no suspicious circumstances and an investigation is being carried out on behalf of the coroner.

"The death is not linked to other recent sudden deaths in the area."

Mark Adams, coroner's officer for the Bridgend area, said an inquest into the death is to be opened on Friday.

Seven of the young people found hanging in the past year are believed to have used social networking site Bebo, but South Wales Police have played down links between the deaths.

The force has said it is looking into a number of sudden deaths in the area, however.

Natasha Randall, 17, was found hanging in her home in Blaengarw, Bridgend, last month. Her death followed that of friend Liam Clarke, 20, in the Cefn Glas area of Bridgend on December 27, and of Gareth Morgan, 27, who knew Mr Clarke, who also died last month.

Others to have died include Dale Crole, 18, who was found hanging in Porthcawl in January 2007, and 19-year-old David Dilling and 20-year-old Thomas Davies, who both died the following month.

In August, 17-year-old Zachary Barnes, of Wildmill, Bridgend, was also found hanged.

It emerged yesterday that new Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy has discussed the deaths with First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

In a Commons written reply, Mr Murphy said the "tragic" deaths were of "great concern and distress" to him.

Bridgend Labour MP Madeleine Moon has secured a Commons debate on suicide prevention, which will take place later this week. A taskforce has already been set up to examine factors behind the deaths in Bridgend.