Teen killed himself after drinking binge

Mar 1 2008 by Matthew Aplin, South Wales Echo

A 17-YEAR-OLD boy found hanging had drunk so much alcohol the night before his death that he was twice over the drink-drive limit.

A coroner’s court heard that Zachery Barnes, inset, had been drinking with friends the night before his body was found hanging from a stranger’s washing line in Bridgend.

Coroner Phillip Walters said Zachery had drunk so much alcohol he could not return a simple suicide verdict.

Mr Walters said: “To find a verdict of suicide I have to find clear evidence of intention for someone to take their own life.

“In the ones I have done over the years involving this level of alcohol I have never been convinced that is the case. Alcohol affects your judgement.”

Recording his verdict at the inquest, which was held at the Tabernacle Chapel, Brackla, the coroner said: “Zachery Barnes killed himself while under the influence of alcohol.”

Zachery is one of 17 young people from the county of Bridgend who are suspected of killing themselves in the past year.

Ricky Tovey, a friend of Zachery, told the inquest they had bought 24 cans of Carlsberg lager between them on August 10 last year.

He said they had gone with four other friends to a recreation centre in the Sunnyside area of Bridgend at about 6.45pm and stayed there drinking until 12.40am the following day.

He said they then walked to the Brackla area where they stole a pint from a pub and were chased up the street.

He said they went on to a fried chicken takeaway but ran off again when the police turned up to deal with the fracas.

Asked if Zachery had seemed different that night, Mr Tovey said: “No,” but added he remembered seeing him with a T-shirt around his neck on a wall.

Pc Mason told the inquest she initially became involved in the case when Zachery was reported as a missing person on August 11 by his father Paul.

But she said the same afternoon officers received a telephone call from a resident in High View, Bridgend, to say they had found a person hanging from their washing line.

Dr Alan Martin Rees, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said Zachery died of asphyxia from a ligature around his neck. He said he also found up to 20 fine linear scars on the teenager’s left forearm and three more recent marks on his upper arm.

Dr Rees said Zachery had twice the legal drink-drive limit of alcohol in his blood and three times the limit in his urine, which suggested he had drunk a lot more.

Zachery's family gave no comment following the inquest.

matthew.aplin@mediawales.co.uk