‘I hope bullies rot in hell over suicide of my Kayleigh (14),’ says griveving mum
A GRIEVING mother has vowed to fight for justice for her 14-year-old daughter who died in hospital after a suicide attempt.
Mary Sheehan, from Southill, Limerick, is “heartbroken” after her “red-haired queen” Kayleigh Ryan-Sheehan died aged just 14 after a horrific campaign of bullying from her peers.
She described her daughter as an “angel” and attacked those who abused her as “vermin”, saying she hopes they “rot in hell”.
“Kayleigh was a lovely child. She was very bubbly. She had a great sense about her. She was more like an old soul. It’s still
‘Kayleigh was a real angel...She always put others before herself ’
so hard,” her mother said.
“I’ve got nothing left. My whole routine is gone. I lived for her. I don’t see a purpose sometimes. But I will stand and fight until I take my last breath so I can get justice for my child.
“If I can help another little child and let them see that you can come, and there are people to talk to, I will.
“Don’t let these bullies take your life.”
Kayleigh died in June, but Ms Sheehan was speaking out after the family of Tipperary teenager Mia O’Neill (16) also spoke out about suicide and bullying.
“The people who do this don’t understand the impact they leave behind on families. I miss her so much,” said Ms Sheehan.
“Making fake [internet] pages and torturing them so much that they can’t bear it any more, that they end their lives,” she said.
She wants to work with the council and Government to legislate so this type of bullying can lead to prosecutions.
“Everyone in my community loved Kayleigh and knew what kind of a child she was. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. We were so close and we did everything together,” said Ms Sheehan.
“For people to bully her, to make her feel she was ugly and lose her self-confidence...But she’s not: she’s beautiful, my red-haired queen, my princess, my baby. And these vermin robbed me of that. Robbed her of her dreams.”
Ms Sheehan was speaking out on her birthday, a day she and Kayleigh would normally go out for a meal or shopping together.
“I’ve no routine left. My routine is my baby coming home on the 303 bus, me waiting for her. She would play her music. The house is dead – I’m dead inside,” she said.
“Kayleigh was a real angel. She always put everybody before herself. She helped everyone. She had a heart of gold.”
Asked if she had a message for the bullies, she added: “I hope they rot in hell for what they did to me and Kayleigh.”
Anyone in need of support or who has been bereaved through suicide and wishes to access supports should contact the Office for Suicide Prevention at 061-461262.
Alternatively, they can contact the Samaritans at 116123. Services are free and confidential.