London: Teenager who suffered anti-gay bullying at school found dead
A 15-year-old girl who suffered bullying of a homophobic nature has been found dead in south-east London.
The body of Sinead Taylor was discovered last Friday at an address in Woolwich shortly before 6pm.
Police said her death was not being treated as suspicious.
Sinead was reportedly the subject of bullying from classmates because of her appearance.
The teenager, an aspiring dancer, posted an online video diary of her torment to YouTube in May and June.
She said: “I was bullied a lot. I thought I was one of the boys. I always felt comfortable around the boys.”
“He purely hated me. He used to always put me down, he made me feel so awful I just wanted to go home and cry… I never used to cry.
“[At Secondary School] people used to call me a lesbian or bisexual. They accused me of looking at them whilst they were getting changed.
“It all got to me at some point and I did self harming. I used to cut myself every night before I went to bed.
“Self harming doesn’t help, it makes it worse; committing suicide makes it worse.
“Doing anything to harm yourself is worse and I’ve noticed that.
“Now if I get upset I just shut it all down…and just cry. Tell your family you just want 10-15 minutes alone.”
“It’s helped me a lot and I haven’t been bullied since.”
Sinead’s uncle Manoj Sangar said: “We just cannot believe what has happened here.
“It seemed Sinead was a happy girl and she was loved by the whole family. She did not appear to have any problems.
She was lovely and knew her own mind and the difference between right and wrong. We are all devastated and I cannot come to terms with it.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service on Friday August 23 at 5.44pm to an address in Woolwich, south east London, where a 15-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The death is being treated as non-suspicious and has been referred to the coroner.”
