Bid to stop spate of teenage suicides

A MAJOR drive was launched yesterday to stop the spate of teenage suicides in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.

Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the latest youth to die, 18-year-old Barney Cairns, who had been the victim of a campaign of terror, threats and punishment attacks by a gang of INLA men in the area.

Barney was the 13th to commit suicide this year and hanged himself from scaffolding at Holy Cross church just hours after attending the funeral of his best friend Anthony O'Neill who also killed himself after being attacked and constantly harassed and humiliated by the INLA.