A 26-year-old man who was bullied as teen because he was gay took his own life a few days before Christmas, an inquest heard. William Toby Green, from Sketty, was found by police in Singleton Park on December 12, 2021 after concerns had been raised about his welfare.
Several officers attempted CPR on Mr Green, before paramedics arrived and promptly took him to Morriston Hospital for medical treatment. Sadly, Mr Green died there the following day from injuries he sustained in the park. The hearing heard he had phoned his ex-partner and vowed to take his own life shortly before he was found by officers.
The inquest into Mr Green's death was formally opened on December 17, 2021 and continued on August 4, 2022 at Swansea Guildhall. The hearing, attended virtually by Mr Green's parents and in-person by the attending officer, heard that Mr Green was born and raised in Swansea and had attended primary school and secondary school in the city, before moving to Cardiff to study at university.
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Mr Green was described in the inquest as having a "caring nature" and having always been "supportive" of his friends. His childhood had been a mostly happy one, but life at comprehensive school had been "very difficult" as he had been bullied - something he kept quiet from his family until he was a university student as he "didn't want his family to worry". The reason for his bullying was said to be due to his sexuality.
Mr Green had always been "artistic," the inquest heard, and after secondary school he studied a BTEC in Art and Design at Gower College, achieving a Distinction in 2013. After this, he went on to study a BA (Hons) degree in Fine Art at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
He settled in Cardiff after university and began working at a Wagamama's restaurant there and in his free-time he loved drawing, going on holidays with his family, and spending time with his then-boyfriend Ashley Kelleway. Their relationship sadly ended in 2020 and Mr Green soon moved back to Swansea, and transferred from the Wagamama's restaurant in Cardiff to the Wagamama's restaurant in Bridgend for work.
After experiencing panic attacks after the breakdown of his relationship, Mr Green was put on medication by his GP, but he did try to wean himself off this. Unfortunately, around the same time, he slipped at his workplace and broke his hand, an injury which left him unable to draw, something he struggled not being able to do, the hearing was told.
On December 10, 2021 Mr Green and Mr Kelleway were spending time together at Mr Green's home but had an argument. They were shouting at each other, the hearing was told, and later on in the evening Mr Green called his father and told him that they'd had a "fight" that evening, so he'd left the house. Mr Green later had a "big" panic attack whilst his father was getting his car to take him home, and later had further panic attacks.
The following day, Mr Green enjoyed a day out with his family before spending some time with a female friend. The inquest heard his friend did not approve of Mr Green's relationship with Mr Kelleway and thought Mr Green had seemed "very down and depressed" - but had given no mention of wanting to take his own life. Later that evening, Mr Green made a phone call to Mr Kelleway and told him he intended to take his own life that evening.
Mr Kelleway immediately phoned Mr Green's father and informed police of their conversation. Officers were promptly sent to Singleton Park to find Mr Green. PC Christian Miles told the inquest that he and colleagues went to the park and a police helicopter and drone were also requested, though they weren't used due to the bad weather conditions.
While searching the park, PC Miles caught sight of what appeared to be a man standing beside a tree. On approach, he realised the man, later identified as Mr Green, was hanging. He was taken to Morriston Hospital, where he died the following day of his injuries. Asked by acting senior coroner Colin Phillips if there was any evidence of any third party involvement, PC Miles told the inquest there was "no evidence".
Concluding the inquest, coroner Phillips summarised that Mr Green was a "caring person" and was "artistic" but had been in a "volatile" relationship with a partner. He accepted Dr William's findings that the medical cause of death was hanging and added that Mr Green had acted with the intention of taking his own life, after threatening that he would do so. He concluded that Mr Green died by suicide and expressed his condolences to his family.
In immediate aftermath of Mr Green's death, Mr Green's family told WalesOnline they remain "devastated" by their loss and sent us the eulogy that Mr Green's brother read at his funeral.
It read: "We are all here today in memory of Will my brother, a son, a grandson, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin and also friend too many. On behalf of my family we would like to firstly thankyou all for the lovely messages, memories and donations you have shared with us over the past couple of weeks.
"Will was definitely a unique individual I think we can all agree on that. He was such a caring person and he would always be there for anyone in hard times.
"He also challenged his family and friends to identify what three items you would keep with you if you found yourself homeless would it be a warm blanket, a favourite book or family photos: what would you choose?
"Following his degree he worked at Wagamama’s and progressed to front of house manager with responsibility for school children visits. As a result he enrolled to undertake a post graduate teaching certificate but unfortunately the dreaded Covid struck and all learning transferred to online.
"My brother found this extremely stressful and he subsequently withdrew from the course. It was during this time that he opened up about how he felt that he had to justify his sexuality and I can only imagine how hard he found this on a daily basis. Every friend accepted Will for who he was, but I don’t think Will accepted himself.
"All Will talked about was having a career in art, be in a caring relationship, with their own home and dog call Linda. Fortunately Will was loved by so many but unfortunately Will didn’t love himself. Those who knew him will always remember him, please continue to share your good memories so that he’s not forgotten. I will always remember Will blasting his music out while he was having a shower singing at the top of his voice like no care in the world, but also I will remember the genuine side of Will the artist, which was always being there for any of his family and friends in need and they will also remember that about Will."
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