A 17-year-old old boy died from head injuries after jumping off the Orwell Bridge, an inquest at Suffolk Coroner's Court heard today.

Aayush Desai, of Colchester Road, Ipswich, was found by the emergency services, including Holbrook Coastguard, RNLI and police, on a bank of the River Orwell on May 18 last year.

Attempts were made to made to resuscitate the 17-year-old but he was pronounced dead by paramedics, and post-mortem examination revealed Mr Desai died from brain injury due to a fall from a height.

Coroner Jacqueline Devonish ruled the death was a suicide.

Mr Desai's mother, Shilpa Desai aired a number of concerns during the inquest and felt more could have been done to prevent her son's death.

Mrs Desai told the inquest her family were devastated at their loss and she raised a number of concerns about what more could have been done to prevent her son's death.

The inquest was told Mr Desai reported being bullied while in Year Eight at Colchester Royal Grammar School and that suffered from low self-esteem

The concerns were addressed and no further incidents were reported to school staff but Mrs Desai believes the historical bullying had long-lasting effects on her 'intelligent and highly sensitive' son.

There was also an incident in early 2017 when a school online system picked up Mr Desai typing words involving suicide into a computer search bar.

Mrs Desai questioned whether the safeguarding team at the school had done enough to pick up potential suicidal thoughts in her son.

The inquest also heard in the week leading up to Mr Desai's death, he had spoken about suicide to classmates, although this was not relayed to staff.

Mr Desai's parents had no knowledge of this until Mrs Desai spoke to his classmates a few months after his death.

John Russell, headteacher, offering evidence to the inquest, added surveys carried out by the school had shown 'the large percentage of students feel we deal with bullying well'.

Meanwhile, Mrs Desai shared further concerns about the immediate circumstances preceding her son's death.

Before he jumped, an off-duty police officer drove past Mr Desai, spotting him leaning over the bridge and climbing the wall with one foot.

The off-duty police officer rung 999, which the inquest heard from police Detective Inspector James Cassidy was the 'appropriate course of action'.

DI Cassidy explained because the Orwell Bridge has no hard shoulder or lighting, and reduced blind spots, it would have been 'dangerous' for the off-duty officer to stop their vehicle in the middle of the bridge to assist without additional police training as it could lead to an accident.

Felixstowe charity manager Caroline Rutherford has launched a petition for increased suicide prevention measures on the Orwell Bridge, which has reached more than 1,500 signatures. More details here.

Please call the Samaritans on 116 123 for confidential help, support or just to talk, at any time.

Or go to Suffolk Mind website here...