Police criticised over death of blackmailed teen

The heartbroken parents of a teenager who took his own life after he was threatened on social media have spoken out for the first time about their son’s ordeal.

Ronan Hughes, 17, from Co Tyrone, killed himself after being blackmailed by a Nigerian gang. The criminals had tricked the schoolboy into sending them intimate pictures and then threatened to release the images unless he paid them £3,300 (€4,590).

Ronan’s parents, Gerard and Teresa Hughes, described their son’s online blackmailers as “relentless” and criticised the police for their “inaction” in the days leading up to Ronan’s death.

Their son revealed what was going on three days before his suicide. His parents then accompanied him to Dungannon Police Station.

“A policeman said to us there was very little they could do as he was there on his own that night,” his father told the Irish News.

“I knew Ronan was looking for help and I told him that all my son wanted is for these images not to be posted. He told us that he couldn’t guarantee that. For Ronan, it was totally dismissive.”

The family returned to the police station the next day and spent several hours there. Ronan’s phone was taken but the family did not hear anything further.

Mr Hughes said that if the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had treated Ronan’s case more urgently, or given Ronan more assurance, his son would still be alive.

The PSNI said they are still investigating and hope to be able to address the family’s concerns.

“Our inquires are continuing into what will be a complex and protracted investigation and we will keep the family informed of any progress as appropriate,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Hanna.

“The office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is also the best place to deal with any complaints in relation to police action.”

Ronan died just hours after learning his blackmailers had carried out their threat to post the images.

“We want there to be changes so if a child out there is being bullied online they can go to the police or other authorities with their concerns,” said Mrs Hughes.

“We don’t want another family to go through what we’ve gone through.”