AN inquest has heard how a 15-year-old boy who died by his own hand had been struggling with low self-esteem as a result of bullying in school at the time.

Joshua Gallagher from Enniskillen died as a result of a gunshot wound to the chest in his own home on October 15, 2012.

Moments before his death he had called out to his mother to tell her that he loved her.

The inquest heard yesterday (Wednesday) that Joshua, a fifth year student at Erne Integrated College, had returned home from school the week before his death to tell his mother he had been stabbed with a pencil in the arm by one of his peers.

“There must have been a lot of force because it had gone through his uniform and broken the skin,” recalled his mother, Jennifer.

The inquest heard too, that a few days before his death he had told a health professional with the Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAHMS) that he had been struggling with issues with his peers.

His mother recalled yesterday how he had returned home from school on the day of his untimely death in seemingly “bad humour”.

“I asked what had happened and he told me: ‘Anything that could have happened, happened’ and said that it was just one of those days.” She described how Joshua had gone into the living room to use the computer and had moved a clothes rack to a particular position to restrict her view.

“After 5.30pm he went up stairs, but before he went, he gave me a hug.

“This wasn’t unusual for Joshua, he was very affectionate. So I never thought any more of it.

“He said he would be down in a minute. I could hear him moving about upstairs, just normal noises.

“And then he shouted: ‘You know I love you!’.

“I shouted: ‘I know, I love you too’.

“He then seemed to get emotional and said: ‘You know mummy I really do love you’.

“I heard a sound up stairs, something dropping. I asked if he was okay. I got up off the seat and heard a loud bang, a shot going off.

“I ran up stairs. He lying on the floor on his back. There was a hole in his chest and his face was pale.

“I could see two green coloured cartridges on the floor -- I think one of them had slipped out -- and a shot gun.

“He was sort of gasping for breath. I thought he was still alive.” After dialling 999 Mrs. Gallagher ran outside desperately calling for help.

A neighbour and her son heard her screams and ran to see what was wrong.

“I could hear a really horrible scream -- you could tell there was something really wrong,” the neighbour recalled.

Describing how she and her son had found Joshua, lying on the floor with a large bullet wound “about the size of a penny” on the left side of his chest, the neighbour said Jennifer was “hysterical”.

“She was screaming: ‘My baby is dead’, and she was banging her head off the wall.

She was kneeling down and holding his head.” Evidence by the attending paramedic was read out at the inquest yesterday.

In his statement he said it was “obvious on arrival that there was no hope for life for Joshua”.

“It was obvious that his chest trauma injuries were incompatible with life,” he added.

And a state pathologist report found that the musle of the gun would have been “very close to the chest” at the time that the gun had gone off.

The report found the wound was indicative of “self-infliction”.

Mrs. Gallagher told the inquest her son was “very protective” towards her and had assumed the role of a carer for her as she suffers from health issues.

She explained he had a good relationship with his older brother, Andrew, and had had a bit of communication with his biological father that year, who did not live here.

“He took a lot to heart,” she said, “He was very soft-hearted.

“He loved animals. And he would always go that extra step to help people. He was very sensitive. But not a push over either.

“He was not confrontational -- he would bring peace to a situation rather than have an argument.” She explained too, that the shotgun belonged to her, and had been used for sporting activities.

The inquest heard that experts who had analysed the Gallagher’s computer found Joshua had beensearching suicide websites from around 3.40pm until 4.50pm on the day of his death.

His mother told the inquest he had expressed suicidal thoughts on two occasions before his death.

On one occasion, around three months before he died, he had been in the kitchen and lifted a knife, pressing it to his neck.

On another occasion he had remarked: “Sometimes you just think is life worth living?” A health professional from the Child and Adult Mental Health Services team (CAHMS) gave evidence that Joshua had attended a number of sessions with him between April and May in 2012 and again on October 8, just a week before his death.

During his sessions, Joshua had spoken of his mother’s health issues, problems with his peers and a desire to enhance contact with his biological father.

The health professional said the initial sessions earlier in the year had been of benefit to Joshua, but in October 2012, he had been referred back by his GP.

“He told me he had attempted self-harm,” he told the inquest, “He felt like he was at the bottom of the pecking order. He was ambivalent about dying -- he didn’t want to hurt his mum.

“He was sensitive to remarks made by his peer group -- the remarks pissed him off.” THE health professional said he felt Joshua seemed “brighter” when leaving the session and had even given him “two thumbs up” and said: ‘Be positive’, before leaving.

Two more sessions had been scheduled for that month, one on October 17 and another on October 31.

“I told him to contact us if he wanted to speak to us,” added the health professional.

In his conclusions Coroner Kitson spoke directly to Mrs. Gallagher.

“It is all too apparent that Joshua died from a shotgun wound to the chest.

“He was a delightful young man,” he said, “More than helpful to you as a mother. “Regrettably he also had difficulties in his young life. It seems quite clear that he perceived himself to be some how a the bottom of a pecking order, as he described himself.

“There appears there were certain issues within his peer group. There is little doubt that none of those peer group members intended this outcome, if that even was the primary focus of this outcome.

“He had thoughts of self-harm in the past. And and it appears on this occasion he took those thoughts of self-harm to the most extreme outcome.

“I have no doubt having heard the evidence that he accessed the gun and completed the act of suicide while the balance of his mind was temporarily upset.

“Something set him off that day. It is quite simply a tragedy.” For more updates, photographs and debate follow The Impartial Reporter on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/impartialreporter And on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/impartialrep