A ‘gifted’ and ‘gentle’ sixth former at a top private school killed himself after being blackmailed over nude photos.
Keen footballer and rugby player Dinal De Alwis, 16, had achieved straight A* GCSEs and had just started sixth form with the hope of studying at Cambridge when he was contacted via messaging app Snapchat by someone, apparently from Nigeria .
He was sent two photos of himself and told they would be sent to ‘all his online followers’ unless he paid £100.
Instead, he left the family home and recorded a short video saying he planned to commit suicide.
Last night his grieving father Kaushallya De Alwis mourned the ‘golden boy’ he still speaks of in the present tense – telling the Daily Mail he didn’t want any other family to suffer as they did.
Dinal De Alwis, 16, had achieved straight A* GCSEs and had just started sixth form with the hope of studying at Cambridge
The keen footballer and rugby player was contacted via the messaging app Snapchat by someone, apparently from Nigeria. He was sent two photos of himself and told they would be sent to ‘all his online followers’ unless he paid £100
Mr De Alwis said of the night his son disappeared: ‘He sent my wife and me a message to say he loved us, and he told his two brothers he loved them, and said they were ‘for mum and daddy had to take care of it.”
Dinal was a pupil at Whitgift School in Croydon – near the family’s detached home in Sutton, south London – where entry fees are £48,000 and alumni include former England rugby star Danny Cipriani and illusionist Derren Brown.
After success in his GCSEs, he had started studying for the International Baccalaureate in sixth form and was top in the school in English and economics.
He had attended an open day in Cambridge, where he hoped to continue studying economics.
But after a dinner at home in October 2022 – just days after a family holiday in Mallorca over the autumn holidays – he unusually told his mother: ‘Just leave me alone’.
Only later did it become apparent that he was sent the two nude photos of himself at 1 a.m. – perhaps after earlier contact with the blackmailer.
South London Coroner’s Court heard that the blackmailer – who is believed to have made other victims – wrote: ‘So you think blocking me will stop me? What do you want me to do? Would you like me to send it to all your followers? Why can’t you just pay me? £100?’
Dinal replied that he assumed the photos had already been distributed.
He snuck out of the house at 2 a.m. and recorded a short video of himself walking down a suburban street. Just over an hour later, his body was found after he fell to his death, which was captured on CCTV.
Dinal was a pupil at Whitgift School in Croydon (pictured) – near the family’s detached home in Sutton, south London – where the boarding fee is £48,000
Dinal left the family home after being blackmailed and recorded a short video message saying he was going to commit suicide
Police and the National Crime Agency admitted to Dinal’s parents that they could not trace the blackmailer, but said he appeared to be operating from Nigeria.
Mr De Alwis wept as he told the coroner: ‘Dinal was the most caring son. He was clear.
‘He got good grades in all his subjects at GCSEs and was top in the school for English and economics.
‘We are from Sri Lanka, so we were so proud to hear that he was so good at English. He was brave. He played for the Whitgift School football and rugby teams. He never asked anything from us. He was always happy with what he had.
“His loss is the greatest possible loss. It’s so incredibly painful. The fact that he ended his life this way… the world is so cruel.”
Mr De Alwis added: ‘He showed no signs of unhappiness whatsoever. I think he wanted to prevent the images from being made public. I wish he had spoken to us.
‘He used to be so open. But I think when things happen online and live, it feels like there’s no time. He didn’t do anything wrong.’
Mr De Alwis said he believed a girl may have taken the photos while she was with Dinal and they ended up in the wrong hands.
But he was also aware that blackmailers pose as attractive girls online, send erotic photos and demand naked “selfies” in return, before demanding money to keep them private. Mr De Alwis told the Mail: ‘Dinal had had a few girlfriends, he had been very open with me.
‘I warned him to be careful. The grieving never ends. I am very concerned about my youngest son. He’s into all this social media, and young people are underestimating the dangers around them. There should be ways to track these things and parents should have access. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.’
The inquest ruled that Dinal’s death was a suicide.
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