Teenager, 17, who loved computers and games took his own life, inquest hears

A “VERY clever” boy who loved computers and was a world-ranked gamer took his own life, an inquest has concluded. Alexander Daniel Hamilton Henshaw, 17, died at his home in Highcroft Road on September 10 last year. In a statement read by area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, Alexander’s mother Lisa Henshaw said that he was “a very clever person”, whilst also being painfully shy, and that he had autism which impacted him socially.

Mrs Henshaw said that her son was “scared of his own shadow”, with his autism and anxiety making it so he could not queue up for lunch at Basingstoke College of Technology (BCOT), where he was studying. Mrs Henshaw said that Alexander had raised concerns to her on September 9 about being asked to give a presentation to one of his classes, something she believed he would not have to do due to having special permission, saying: “I said he had other arrangements”. Mrs Henshaw said that she and Alexander did not speak about the presentation again, and that when she went to bed, he had locked and bolted the door to his room, something he usually did.



When she awoke at approximately 6.30am on September 10, his door was still locked. Worried that he would miss his train to school, she contacted the fire service, who broke down the door.

She said: “They had to use a sledgehammer to open the door." In a statement from Alex’s father, Adam, he said: “Alex never self-harmed or mentioned suicide to me. I miss my son very much.

He was also my friend.” A statement from BCOT said that Alex was a good student, with a game being exhibited that he had designed. Mrs Rhodes-Kemp said: “It is quite obvious that Alex was a very good student in his studies, and was looking to have a bright future in his chosen field.

He was regularly in the top 10 gamers in the world. “For whatever reason, and we will never know why, he took his life on September 10. He had numerous challenges, he had a number of conditions of both a physical and neurological nature.

This would have affected his health. It is a credit to him that he managed in a society that is not always accommodating to individuals like him. “I am very, very sorry for whatever it was that caused him to take this action that day.

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