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.