by A 16-year-old described by his parents as a “golden boy” took his own life after being blackmailed into nude photos, an inquest heard.
A coroner found that 16-year-old Dinal De Alwis had been killed in Sutton, South London, in October 2022.
A Metropolitan police investigation found that Dinal, who recently attended an open day at Cambridge, where he wanted to study economics, had received iMessages in the hours before his death from a man who threatening to send two nude images to “everyone. to his followers” if he didn’t send him money.
The man was using a virtual private network (VPN) to hide his location, but detectives believe he was “probably based in Nigeria”, it was reported.
The suspect said: “Do you think you can stop bothering me? What do you want me to do – you want me to send to all your followers? Why can’t you just pay me? £100?”
South London coroner’s court heard that Dinal’s mother, father and two brothers had received “goodbye” messages from the 16-year-old in the early hours of October 27, 2022.
His father, Kaushallya De Alwis, who attended the inquest, said: “He sent a message to my wife and I saying he loved us, and he told his brothers he loved them, and he said that they must ‘take care of Mum and Dad’. “
De Alwis said the family, who live in Wallington, near Sutton, reported Dinal missing to police, telling officers they had discovered Dinal had plans to take his own life. take after logging into his Snapchat.
“Dinal was the most caring son,” De Alwis said tearfully. “It was bright. He got straight A*s in all subjects at GCSE and topped the school for English and Economics.
“We come from Sri Lanka, so we were so proud to hear that he was so good at English. He was brave. He played for the football and rugby teams at Whitgift school. He never asked us for anything. He was always happy with what he had.
“His loss is the greatest possible loss. It is so painful. He was our golden boy. The fact that he ended his life in this way … the world is so cruel.”
Police have not confirmed how the suspect managed to get hold of the photos. “It’s still a big question mark,” said De Alwis.
Assistant coroner Sian Reeves explained that she had to find out whether Dinal had intended to take his own life or not and asked De Alwis if he wanted to give his views on what the conclusion should be her. “It seems like it was quite a surprise to you all,” she said.
De Alwis replied: “It’s a huge surprise for us. He didn’t show any kind of displeasure at all. I think he wanted to avoid any embarrassment from the images going public.
“I wish he had talked to us. He was always so open in the past. But I think when things are happening online, live, it feels like there’s no time.”
Commenting on the Met police investigation, Reeves said: “Police found that the suspect was living outside the UK, probably in Nigeria, and was using various VPNs to hide his location .
“Detectives investigated, but because the suspect was out of the jurisdiction, they did not consider there was a realistic prospect of finding the device or a successful prosecution.”
The London ambulance service was called at 03.35am on 27 October 2022. They arrived in 10 minutes and started CPR, but Dinal was pronounced dead at 04:07am.
Elaborating on his judgement, Reeves said: “I would like to start by saying that I am particularly moved by Dinal’s father’s evidence. The world has lost a bright star – a brilliant boy academically and in sports.”
She continued: “Based on the findings of this inquest, including the CCTV, the Dinal iMessages he received, the Google searches he carried out, and the farewell messages he sent to his family, I find that he was intending to take his own life. . I say that without any criticism Dinal.
“I record a conclusion of suicide.”
A statement from the Metropolitan police said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Dinal De Alwis following the conclusion of the inquest on Friday 16 February.
“Dinal, aged 16, was found dead in Sutton on 27 October 2022. Officers from the Metropolitan Police investigated the circumstances leading to his death. This found out that Dinal had been blackmailed before his death.
“Inquiries led officials to point out the blackmail threats that came from Nigeria; assistance was sought from the National Crime Agency.
“All lines of inquiry have been completed and the investigation is now closed. Any additional information that comes to light will be assessed and investigated accordingly.”
• In the UK and Ireland, you can contact the Samaritans on freephone 116 123, or send an email to jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the United States, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, chat at 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor. In Australia, the Lifeline crisis support service is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
