A teenager was bullied to death by cruel taunts on Facebook from members of her own family, her distraught parents revealed.
Pretty Jasmine Griffiths, 18, was found hanged on bedsheets from a staircase at her home after receiving ‘dozens’ of messages telling her to kill herself.
Jasmine’s stepmother Kirsty, 35, said the unnamed bullies continued harrassing Jasmine even when she blocked them and also targeted her friends.
She said: “It was Facebook that did it. It was all over it and that’s what started it.
“They had lots of profiles and they kept adding new ones to get to her when she blocked them.
“They said things like ‘go die in a hole’, ‘you’re worth nothing’, ‘go kill yourself’, and ‘you’ve got no family’. She had family – she had us.
“She loved her family and her friends.
“It was not the kind of thing you would think people would say to an 18-year-old.
“Did they bully her? Of course they did.
“And when her friends went to stick up for her they went after them too, emailing them terrible things.”
Kirsty spoke out alongside Jasmine’s father Neil after a coroner chose not to include the Facebook allegations in the inquest into her death.
Dr Peter Harrowing said he could not be sure the hairdressing student intended to kill herself on the day she died and recorded an open verdict.
The hearing at Flax Bourton nr Bristol heard how Jasmine was found dead after a party at her home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in April last year.
College friend Rebecca Hemmett said her pal was excited about the party but had been upset by a text message from a relative threatening to see her later.
Rebecca, who studied hairdressing with Jasmine, told the inquest: “In the few days before the party she was making really weird comments like ‘what would you do if I killed myself?’
“I thought it was a bit strange but then it was Jasmine being Jasmine – she came out with silly things all the time.”
The inquest heard Jasmine had a number of drinks and two or three lines of the stimulant Mephadrone – known as Mcat – at the party.
Friend Zoe Conway thought Jasmine was acting strangely as the party ended around 4am and begged her to come home with her.
Zoe said: “She was not herself.
“I was asking her if she was all right. I know she was worried about her relative turning up, but she was focused on something.”
Fighting back tears, Zoe added: “I didn’t want to leave her. I really didn’t want to leave her but she gave me no choice in the end.
“She practically pushed me out of the door.”
Jasmine was found by her brother the following afternoon suspended from the metal staircase at her rented home.
Tests found traces of Mcat in her blood and a postmortem confirmed she had died from hanging.
Dr Harrowing, the assistant deputy coroner for Avon, told the 30 friends and relatives who attended the inquest he could not be sure she intended to kill herself.
He said: “I have heard evidence today of differences between Jasmine and some members of her family.
“Can I be clear that much of the evidence in relation to that information amounts to hearsay from two witnesses.
“I have no reason not to believe those witnesses, but we have not heard from any members of the family with regards to the relationship but I think it is fair to say there were differences between Jasmine and one or two members of her family.”
After the hearing Jasmine’s dad Neil, 40, a hairdresser, said he was disappointed with the conclusion and was going to seek legal advice.
He said: “Jasmine was a bright and bubbly girl, always full of life and always last to leave the party.
“We are going to process the information today but there are aspects we are not happy about.
“I think a lot of the evidence was screened – the statements had been blacked out by the coroner’s office and I think we should have heard everything.”
He said the Facebook messages sent to his daughter from unnamed family members were dismissed as “not relevant”.
He added: “There were lots of terrible messages – they are still on Facebook now.
“People have to realise that Facebook is not a platform to have and hear your arguments on.”
