Dominic Crouch, a 15-year-old student at St Edward's independent Catholic school in Cheltenham, jumped to his death from a six-storey block of flats on 18 May 2010. In suicide notes left for his family, he wrote: 'I have been bullied a lot recently and had a lot of shit made up about me that ain't true.' His family believe he was targeted after kissing a boy during a game of spin the bottle on a school trip.
The incident occurred during a residential trip to the Forest of Dean, where Year 9 students were staying at St Briavels Castle. Some participants recorded the game on their mobile phones and allegedly circulated the images among other friends. Dominic, who was dyslexic, found it difficult to formulate quick retorts and became the butt of jokes upon returning to school. Although one pupil described the teasing as 'school banter', the coroner's inquest heard that Dominic left three suicide notes mentioning bullying.
Peter Goatley, chairman of trustees for St Edward's, stated that police interviewed various students and did not find evidence of bullying. He said the coroner also heard considerable evidence about Dominic's life beyond school and found no clear evidence. The school maintains a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, including homophobic bullying, but the Crouch family remain convinced that homophobic bullying drove Dominic to take his own life.
In the months after his son's death, Dominic's father Roger campaigned extensively, speaking to schools, meeting MPs, and urging a zero-tolerance approach to bullying. The family's home now feels different; his mother Paola said: 'You feel you shouldn't be happy. If I'm walking the dog and it's a nice, crisp day that puts a smile on my face I worry that people look at me and think: 'Oh well, she's all right then.'' The family photo on the mantelpiece shows a once-happy family before the tragedy.
