UK: 23-year-old man kills himself after coming out as gay

PinkNews logo on pink background with rainbow corners.

A man from Bristol has died after jumping from a bridge, having come out as gay to his friends and family.

Darren Crotty, 23, came out in January before writing the letter ‘s’ on his calendar, and penning a detailed suicide note, reports the Bath Chronicle.

He later jumped from the Severn Bridge, and was reported missing in March, but his body was not found until April, at the side of the river Severn in Gloucestershire.

A coroner at the inquest on Crotty, who lived in Bishopston, said it appeared he was embarrassed, and had unsure feelings about his sexuality.

The inquest also heard that the body had been in the water for so long that he was only identifiable by DNA examination, and dental records.

Police were contacted after Crotty’s flatmate Martin Leefield found the suicide note and contacted the police.

Crotty’s mother, who was present at the inquest said: “He told us he was gay and we had no issues with that but I think he was embarrassed and perhaps unsure of his sexuality.”

The post mortem examination showed that there were no external injuries.

Senior coroner Katy Skerrett said that the suicide note apologised for the stress which his death would cause, but that he had always planned to do it.

She said: “The trigger for him taking his own life we will never know but it was probably related to his coming out as being gay.”

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and need to talk to someone, visit samaritans.org or call 08457 90 90 90.

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments