Tributes to Cramlington "suicide pact" youths (From The Northern Echo)

Tributes to Cramlington "suicide pact" youths

3:23pm Wednesday 28th July 2010 in

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The 19-year-old who died in an apparent suicide pact has been named by police as Kieran Kenny, from Cramlington.

Christopher Harrington, 20, was found next to the body of close pal Kieran in woods.

Before Christopher left the family home, for the last time, he carefully laid out a string of letters for his family to find.

Dad Peter, 49, said: “I’m totally shocked. He was a young lad going about his usual day-to-day business. He gave us no indication at all.

“I came downstairs and found seven letters on the kitchen table, all written by Christopher.

"One was addressed to me, the others were to other members of the family and friends.

“I don’t want to say what was in them, it’s very personal. The police have taken the letters away.”

The discovery of two bodies was made by a dog walker in his 70s at around 9.15am on Tuesday, in woods near to the Brockwell Medical Centre, in Cramlington.

Locals said the elderly man who found them needed hospital treatment for shock.

Northumbria Police would not confirm whether a suicide pact was part of the investigation but they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

A spokesman added the men were dead at the scene and neither was taken to hospital.

Christopher and Kieran, who also goes by the surname McConaghy, both studied at Cramlington Learning Village and worked together at the Cramlington branch of McDonald’s, on Westmoreland Way.

Christopher later gained a promotion to a shift manager at the McDonald’s in Silverlink, North Tyneside, where he worked to save enough cash to go on holiday to Magaluf, Majorca, with his girlfriend and friends.

Staff at both branches of the fast food outlet were today being offered counselling after the devastating news was broken to them.

Bill Liddy, the McDonald’s franchisee who employed both men, said: “Our thoughts are with both Kieran and Chris’ family and friends.

“They were well-liked employees and we are shocked and saddened by this tragic news.”