Girl who wanted to be a boy found hanged after school kept using the name Louise

A TRANSGENDER teenager was found hanged in his bedroom after being told he could not officially change his name at school, an inquest heard.

Leo Etherington, born Louise, was discovered by his father Martin who became concerned after the 15-year-old did not come down for dinner.

The inquest heard Leo had struggled with gender identity issues since the age of eight and felt he ‘should have been born a boy’.

But Leo’s father claimed his son became ‘angry’ when the authorities at Wycombe High School said he would have to wait until he was 16 before changing his name from Louise at the girls’ grammar. Despite this, the inquest heard Leo had a loving family who supported his transition from female to male.

Beaconsfield coroner’s court was told how the teenager from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, lost his mother to breast cancer when he was 11.

Giving evidence read out by the coroner’s officer, Mr Etherington Leo Etherington, born Louise said Leo, then Louise, told him in 2013 that she was gay.

‘I told her I still loved her and arranged for counselling to help her deal with this and my wife’s death,’ the statement read.

‘Louise asked at school if she could be referred to as Alex. She was comfortable enough to come out at school but not at home.

‘She was trying not to upset me and was trying to protect me.’ Mr Etherington said Leo told him he was transgender one day after school. He immediately told his son he would love and support him.

Mr Etherington said: ‘The school told him he had to be 16 to change his name. He said he was angry with the school.

‘I asked him if I should speak to them and he said no. I said we could wait until he was 16 and then change his name.’ It is not clear when Leo was allegedly told this by Wycombe High School.

Leo was also told by his doctor that the NHS would not pay for any surgery he wanted to have. But Mr Etherington told him he would pay privately.

On the day of his death in May Mr Etherington said Leo was ‘joking around’ with the family during lunch, after which he went up to his room to revise at around 1.30pm. The father called both his children down for dinner later that day and son Robert came down but Leo did not.

Mr Etherington said: ‘I knocked on his door but it was locked, which was not unusual. I got out a coin to open it from the outside.’ When he went into Leo’s bedroom he found his body.

The father tried to resuscitate him and asked Robert to call 999, but told the inquest he ‘knew he was dead’. A suicide note was later found in the bedroom.

The court heard that the day before Leo died his father had received a message on Facebook from a stranger stating that Leo was in a ‘relationship of sorts’ with their 13-year-old daughter.

Assistant coroner Alison McCormick ruled the death as suicide by hanging, saying to Mr Etherington: ‘You and Leo had a very loving, supportive relationship, and you provided all the support he needed. I hope you can take some comfort from that.’

Wycombe High School head teacher Sharon Cromie paid tribute in a statement to a local newspaper, saying: ‘Louise was a wonderful person in every way and is missed by us all.’

The Daily Mail was unable to contact the school last night.

‘Joking around’