Teenage musician, 16, found hanged in his bedroom after years of being bullied by classmates

A teenager who was bullied because of the music videos he posted on YouTube was found hanged in his bedroom by his parents, an inquest has heard.
Shortly before his death, 16-year-old Martin Holder wrote a message saying 'The darkness ahead is not what you imagine' in the dust on his window.
His mother, Marj Hamlett-Hughes, said he had suffered 'severe bullying' thoughout his life thanks to his small size and his love of playing music.
In a statement, she and Martin's father Colin Holder told the inquest: 'We think Martin's morale was eroded away over a number of years leading to him taking this tragic action.'
They also described how two days before his death in November 2012, the teenager turned round and gave his father a hug as he was leaving his house, 'almost as if he had made up his mind to end it all'.
Mrs Hamlett-Hughes said that her son was bullied at Gloucestershire College, where he was studying forensic computing at the time of his death.

'Martin was an anxious child as he got in his middle teenage years,' she said. 'He was worrying about all sorts of things and was bullied in his general life as well even when he did his paper round.
'Colin and I believe that Martin intended to end his life although we acknowledge he did not leave a suicide note.
'Having said that, Martin did write a message in the dust on the inside of the window of his bedroom.
'I acknowledge that Martin had wrote things and songs previously which also expressed dark views and cryptic messages. There was severe bullying through his whole school life.'
She added: 'Both Colin and I are 95 per cent sure Martin had ended his life, but we are 100 per cent sure he was bullied in school.
'Bullying happens everywhere, and there is still a lot of verbal and physical bullying going on, and online as well.'
However, coroner David Dooley, recording an open verdict, said he did not believe the teenager was bullied, and instead 'gave as good as he got'.
He added: 'He had a lot to put up with over his school years, and developed a thick skin. It has damaged his self esteem, although this is tenuous to say this was the cause of the death.'
Speaking after the verdict at her home in Cheltenham, Mrs Hamlett-Hughes, 42, disputed the coroner's verdict, saying that bullies targeted 'anything and everything' about him.
'It was not just his size and his singing, they would pick up on something and see his reaction,' she said. 'He was seen as an easy target, he was a sensitive kid.
'They would take his bag, throw it down the corridor or in a tree, they would take his lunch and do the same. They'd rip his blazer too, they would pick on anything and everything as long as he gave a reaction, it was physical, mental and cyber.
'The coroner said the bullying had stopped - that's not right, he just lost faith in the system to report it because nothing was being done.'
She said that he had tried to start a band by advertising for other musicians online, but the bullies found the ad and 'terrorised' him over it.
They had also forced him to delete a number of YouTube videos of himself performing by posting abusive comments on them.
'People need to know what bullying can lead to,' Mrs Hamlett-Hughes said. 'It can lead to self-harm, it can lead to suicide.
'People need to be made aware of how words can hurt, it is no the longer sticks and stones rhyme, these names can hurt.
'Bullying is a 24-hour thing now, kids can't escape it, it needs to be stopped.'
Culled