UK Man is 'Embarrassed' After Coming Out, Takes Own Life

A young British man took his own life earlier this year by throwing himself off a bridge in Gloucestershire, England after he was left "embarrassed" for coming out as gay to his family, the Mirror reported Wednesday.

Darren Crotty, 23, was found dead on April 29 the River Severn after apparently jumping off the Severn Bridge. Crotty, from Bristol, England, reportedly wrote the letter "S" on his calendar and left behind a detailed suicide note.

The Mirror reports that Crotty's friends and family accepted him after he came out as gay, but his mother told a court recently that she thought her son was "embarrassed."

"He was a quiet, intelligent boy with a good sense of humor," she said. "He told us he was gay and we had no issues with that but I think he was embarrassed and perhaps unsure of his sexuality."

Crotty was reported missing on March 5 after his roommate found a suicide note under his pillow.

"I found the suicide note and he had written that he intended to jump off the Severn Bridge so I immediately contacted the police. It really upset me," said Martin Leefiled, Crotty's roommate.

Detective Constable Stephen Shellcross corroborated Leefield's story, adding, "On a calendar on a wall in the house [Crotty] had written the letter 'S' on the 31st of January."

Crotty's vehicle was found parked near Severn Bridge but police said there was no surveillance footage of the young man. Crotty's body was badly decomposed as he was reported missing on March 5 but was not found until April 29.

A post mortem found there were no external injuries or fractures and that Crotty's body had been in the water for "a significant time." It was also concluded there was no significant history of mental or physical problems although he had been admitted to a hospital in January 2013 after complaining of chest pains.

"He left a detailed suicide note and apologized for the stress this would cause but he always planned to do this," the senior coroner for Gloucestershire Katy Skerrett said. "The trigger for him taking his own life we will never know but it was probably related to his coming out as being gay."

Crotty's other roommate, Stanley Williams, although Crotty was "quiet" he had "a great sense of humor" and that "we were all friends at school."

"He told us that he was gay in January but that did not bother any of us," Williams added.