Worcestershire schoolboy took his own life due to exam pressure
“That night he was tired and hadn’t been sleeping well and because it was just revision at school, I told him to have a lie-in instead – recharge his batteries ready for the first exam. Then he came over and gave me a big cuddle. He would always give me a kiss goodnight but to come over and give me a big cuddle, that was unusual. Instead of thinking that was odd I thought it was really nice.”
Mrs Hanks discovered his body the next morning.
She said: “I tried to take his weight and I think I got him onto the table. I screamed for Phill but unfortunately our youngest son came first and ran back to get his dad.”
Statements from Josh’s school friends and his form tutor were read out in court – all describing him as an “exceptional” student. A teacher from the school said: “Josh was always his own harshest critic. He was an outstanding student.”
One pupil said: “I think it was too much pressure – not by others but by himself, it was A-stars or nothing.”
Another classmate, Jessica Warwick, had been chatting to Josh on the social network site Facebook the night before his death. Josh told Jessica he was feeling really sick and that he wouldn’t be going in to school.
Mrs Hanks said: “I was concerned at the beginning of April. He was putting a lot of time and effort into coursework. He would spend hours on it and then tear it up because he thought it wasn’t good enough. On a couple of occasions he seemed tearful and agitated.
“He did use the word stressed. He was worried, he felt he had left it too late and that he wasn’t doing enough, neither of which were correct.”
The coroner recorded the verdict of suicide.
Mrs Hanks said: “Joshua was a very loving son and there is not a moment goes by that we are not missing him.”
