A heartbroken mother who urged suicidal young men to speak out about their feelings after her own son was found hanged in a park, has made another poignant appeal.

One week after her son Nicky’s inquest, Adele Wallace is this time urging people to always take suicidal threats seriously.

The last text her son, 22, sent before taking his own life in September was to a former girlfriend.

At last week’s inquest, Mr Wallace’s former girlfriend said on that occasion she had not believed he would do it and had not warned his family.

Less than an hour after that text was sent, his body was discovered by a passer-by in Bowling Park.

Eighteen months on and his devastated mum said she is still struggling to accept he actually carried out the threat after sending the text.

She said: “I need people to know that no matter how often threats like this are made and not carried out, they still have to be taken seriously every time.

“I especially want girlfriends to get this message. The number of young men who commit suicide every year is horrifically sad. Sometimes they will say more to their girlfriends about their feelings than to their own family.”

She said as far as she had felt, her son had been getting over his broken relationship, was enjoying life with friends and was looking forward to decorating his flat.

The night before he took his life last September, he had gone out to buy a washing machine and a drier and had bought his sister a Chinese meal.

Mrs Wallace, of Queensbury, said: “He was fine. You wouldn’t do that if you were planning on taking your life. There was no sign of what was going to happen the next day. For us, it came out of the blue. He had not been depressed, he had not been to see a doctor. Yes, he had been down, but we didn’t know it was bad enough for him to go over the edge. He must have just cracked.”

She said family had tried to tackle him before about previous threats to end his life after being tipped-off by his former girlfriend about them – but he had told them not to be so “silly” and that it had only been said for effect, said Mrs Wallace.

“We felt reassured by that answer at the time, but looking back we shouldn’t. I’ve got his mobile phone with the texts now. May be it was too easy for him to cover up to us how he was really feeling. Threats like he made can’t be ignored – even if you wholeheartedly believe you know someone so well and that they would never do such a thing – think again.

“I would tell anyone not to be reassured so easily and quickly. Try to get whoever has said it to open up, to talk to someone else if they can’t talk to you. It’s no good them bottling up feelings and emotions.”

Anyone who needs to talk in confidence, can call The Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 08457 909090.

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