Lytham teenager Bella Greer, 14, took her own life after being bullied at school, inquest hears

A ‘sweet' and ‘bubbly’ 14-year-old took her own life after being bullied at school, an inquest heard on Thursday. Bella Greer took her own life at her home in Ansdell on October 5, 2023, after hanging herself in her bedroom - but her mother stressed that she felt it was a 'cry for help' that went wrong.

Bella, who was described as a 'happy' and 'kind' girl, was found unresponsive in her bedroom early on the Thursday evening. Her mother, Sarah Greer, performed CPR but was sadly unable to resuscitate her despite her best efforts.

The court heard that the St Bede's pupil had received some negative feedback from school, and an incident with another pupil had upset her earlier in the day. A friend had described Bella as having 'shrugged it off' as she was known to do, and she was also noted as having a 'jovial and happy' personality.

A letter sent from Sarah to the police was read out during the inquest, at Blackpool Town Hall. In it, she describes how Bella had enjoyed a 'really happy day' with her sister.

They had been out for food and Bella had been dancing around and with no signs that she was planning to end her life. Mrs Greer stressed that she did not believe it was a deliberate attempt to end her life, but a cry for help.

A statement by Det Insp Montgomery, the Senior Investigating Officer who took over the case on October 6, 2023, describes how Bella had left a note that referred to 'typical teenage girl' problems, including an incident with another pupil that had upset her. Det Insp Montgomery added that there was no evidence of any pre-planning.