Wednesday 26 August 2015

A Teenager Died In Front Of A Train After Being Abused On Facebook Following Fall Out With Friend

Veronica Romero-Lopez, 18, phoned a girlfriend to say 'goodbye' before she was hit by a train, an inquest heard
veronica Romero-Lopez, 18, phoned a girlfriend to say 'goodbye' before she was hit by a train, an inquest heard


A teenager who died in front of a train after an argument with a friend 'was suffering a severe and enduring mental illness', an inquest has head.
Veronica Romero-Lopez, known as Ronnie, was killed after being hit by a high speed train after climbing onto the tracks at Wimbledon Station in south London.
She had phoned a friend to say 'goodbye' and could be heard climbing over a barrier at Wimbledon station when the train horn sounded in the background, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.
The inquest heard the 18-year-old had suffered from mental health problems since she was young, but these were made worse when her father died in 2010.
Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox recorded a short narrative conclusion and said Miss Romero-Lopez 'was suffering a severe and enduring mental illness' when she died.
She also told the court Miss Romero-Lopez's friend was in no way responsible in any way for her death.
The court heard that on the day she died in September last year she spent part of the evening supporting a friend, called Amy, whose father had committed suicide just days earlier.
However the court heard the pair argued and afterwards Miss Romero-Lopez phoned another friend telling her she was going to kill herself. 
DCI Paula Eustace, from British Transport Police had earlier told the inquest: 'At about 9pm she (the friend) received a call from Veronica and she was quite upset.
'She said she was turned away at the doorstep and that she was receiving abuse on Facebook which had upset her. She told her she was ready to commit suicide.'
Miss Romero-Lopez had told her friend she was drinking wine and taking paracetamol, and a station loud speaker could be heard in the background.
The officer said: 'She heard her climbing over a barrier. She heard her say goodbye and she heard the sound of a horn blowing and then the phone went silent.'
Her brother Juan Romero, told the court he was first aware of his sister's mental health problems in her early teens, after the death of her father in 2010.
'She would self-harm and would cut her arms. She would able to go from being fairly normal and extremely happy to extremely angry in five minutes.'

The inquest heard that the 18-year-old drama student had been trying to comfort an estranged friend after she learned her father had just committed suicide
The inquest heard that the 18-year-old drama student had been trying to comfort an estranged friend after she learned her father had just committed suicide
Asked about her treatment he said: 'She didn't not take her medication regularly. She didn't like the effect it had on her.
He added: 'She took it when she felt bad.'
Asked about the date of her death he said: 'I got home from work and she was talking to a friend on Facebook whose dad had killed himself.'
The court heard the pair had fallen out in the past. Her brother said: 'She said she felt she wanted to be there for her and I suggested that it was a great idea to mend their friendship.
He said in the five to six months before her death she had been working at a Clarks shoe shop and then had a job as a barmaid in Sutton and had a new boyfriend.



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