Devastated parents pay tribute to ‘fun’ 14-year-old daughter after they found her dead at home – as coroner says she took her own life
The death of a 14-year-old girl who committed suicide at home has left her family struggling ‘beyond words’ to come to terms with the tragedy.
Charley Pointon, from Bucknall in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, was found in her family home on February 9 after hanging herself.
An inquest into her death, which returned a verdict of suicide, found that she had gone to school normally that day and shared ‘carefree’ messages with her mother when she visited a friend’s house that evening before returning home .
In a statement released after the coroner’s verdict, Charley’s parents Lisa and Steve Pointon said their daughter had a “fun personality with a smile that lit up the room” – and that they would “never come to terms” with the loss.
The inquest heard that Charley was found at 10.30pm, two and a half hours after she had returned home from a friend’s house without any worries.
Charley Pointon was found dead at his home in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in February this year
The teenager’s parents say they will ‘never come to terms’ with the loss of their beloved daughter
She was rushed to Royal Stoke University Hospital where she was tragically pronounced dead.
She left a note, the hearing was told, ‘declaring her intention not to live any longer’.
Mr and Mrs Pointon said in their statement, reported by Stoke-on-Trent Live: ‘Charley had a fun personality with a smile that lit up the room.
‘She loved her family and friends dearly and had a passion for fashion and holidays, with her favorite place being New York, which we visited four times.
“Charley’s death, as a family, is indescribable as we struggle to navigate the days without her. As a family, we will never come to terms with our loss and the pain we endure every day.”
Teachers at her school, The Discovery Academy in Stoke-on-Trent, said year nine pupil Charley would be remembered for her ‘kindness and beautiful nature’.
The school provided extra support to students after her death.
Assistant principal Becky Luby said in February: “Charley went through high school the same way she approached new things, with determination and a smile.
“Her personality really shined through the first week, helping others who found high school a little intimidating with kindness and compassion.
‘Charley was a popular girl, always willing to help others and had a large circle of friends, not just within her peers but across the school.
‘She always made us laugh with her quick wit and was affectionately known as our ‘little firecracker’, not because she was hot-headed, but because she always stood up for the things she believed in.
‘It is said that school leaves an impression on students. Charley will leave a lasting impression on us because of the smile she puts on our faces.
‘Charley will always be remembered for her kindness, beautiful nature and the smile she puts on our faces.’
Charley had been a student of Stoke-on-Trent’s Discovery Academy, who remembered her as a ‘little firecracker’
A photo released through the Discovery Academy of Charley Pointon as it made a statement in her memory earlier this year
The West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to an address in Bucknall at 10.34pm on February 9 and took a female patient to hospital after treating her at the scene.
A spokesperson told MailOnline shortly after her death: ‘Unfortunately, shortly after arriving at hospital, it became clear that nothing could be done to save the patient and it was confirmed that she had died.’
The teenager was buried at the Lawn Cemetery in Carmountside Chapel on March 5 during a service where white balloons were released in her memory at her grave.
Concluding the inquest, North Staffordshire Assistant Coroner Duncan Ritchie said: ‘Charley Pointon was a schoolgirl who lived with her loving family and she had a normal and happy life.
‘My short conclusion is that of suicide. “Having considered the evidence, I have concluded that Charley committed this deliberate act to end her life and that this was her purpose at the time as a result of her actions.”