A TEENAGE girl who took an overdose of painkillers after years of alleged bullying shared a secret diary with a school pal in which she wrote that she intended to kill herself, an inquest heard.

The bullying began after Elaine Swift, 15, donated her bone marrow at the age of 11 to younger sister Christine, then aged five, her father said.

Subsequent media publicity led to her becoming a celebrity in Hartlepool, Teesside, where the family live.

A schoolfriend who shared messages in the diary, a school exercise book, told the inquest that she did not believe Elaine intended herself harm.

The girl, who is not being named, said that on one occasion she wrote in their diary: "How are you doing, I'm bored so I thought I would let you know that I'm going to kill myself tonight."

When asked by Hartlepool Coroner Malcolm Donnelly if they had a suicide pact, the friend replied: "No, it was nothing serious, I didn't believe she meant it."

The inquest heard how Elaine had received 37 counselling sessions after being referred to specialists by her school, including 28 one-hour face-to-face sessions with a social worker.

Therapeutic social worker Susan Davis, who conducted the sessions, told the inquest she did not believe bullying was at the root of her emotional problems.

She took 15 paracetemol tablets in November last year, and died in hospital ten days later despite undergoing an emergency liver transplant in a bid to save her life.

Her father, Bernard, 45, of Lancaster Road, has told the inquest how Elaine was a timid, shy girl, who suffered various forms of bullying.

Pathologist Mark Bennett told the inquest the cause of death was multi-organ failure, due to liver failure due to the paracetamol overdose.

The inquest heard how the family were originally from the Stirling area of Scotland and moved to Hartlepool about ten years ago.

The hearing, at Hartlepool Civic Centre, continues.