Girl, 13, hanged herself over 'merciless ginger taunts' - inquest » Communities » 24dash.com

A teenage girl was found hanging in her bedroom after being subjected to a merciless flood of name calling, including "ginger", "freckle face" and "pig nose", an inquest heard today.

Kelsey Jade Winter, 13, coloured her hair and wore heavy foundation to try and hide her natural ginger hair and freckles.

But that did not stop the taunts from boys and girls at Teesdale Comprehensive School in Barnard Castle, County Durham.

The promising gymnast was found hanging from the handle of her bedroom window by her stepfather Mark Winter, 31, on August 12 last year.

It was not the first time the teenager - described by her parents as hard-working and bubbly - had attempting to harm herself.

Two months before her death, the school counsellor was told that Kelsey had marks around her neck.

The schoolgirl admitted she had put a belt around her neck and pulled it tight until nearly passing out - but denied being suicidal.

Kelsey's mother Carolann, 30, told the inquest at Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court how the name calling had affected her.

"Kelsey got called names all the time. She got called 'ginger', 'freckle face'," she said, breaking down in tears.

"I got her hair died blonde so she didn't look as ginger. She used to wear foundation very heavily to cover-up the freckles.

"It wasn't just the girls it was the boys.

"She was bubbly but she thought she was ugly. She wasn't ugly.

"I got called names at school but Kelsey used to break down and cry and get upset by things.

"She used to get called 'pig nose'."

Mrs Winter, who also has three other children, said Kelsey was upset by the name calling but did not think she was suicidal.

"I knew she was very upset about it. But that's why we took her to get her hair done and her nails," she told the hearing.

"I stopped her wearing the foundation because it was making her spotty. I just wish now..."

Mrs Winter said that shortly before Kelsey died, she found extracts from her daughter's diary ripped up in a bin in her bedroom.

She carefully put the pieces back together and could see that Kelsey was writing about one girl among her peer group at school.

"It was about one of the girls out of the group and what she wanted to do about her and why she wanted to kill her," she said.

Reading the extracts from Kelsey's diary referring to the belt incident, Mrs Winter said: "I put a belt around my neck and pulled it tight but something about my face going purple.

"I took it off. I went to school and told the counsellor and told them not to tell mum."

After confronting her daughter, Mrs Winter said: "She said she didn't want to die. She said she didn't want to do it again. It scared her."