‘He wasn’t safe at school’: Inquest examines suicide of Grade 9 Taroona High School student

“His choice to end his life was a desperate act of last resort.” A three-day inquest has opened into the tragic suicide death of a Grade 9 Taroona High School student.

Taroona High School Picture: Linda Higginson

A three-day inquest has opened into the tragic suicide death of a Grade 9 Taroona High School student.

Silas Eben Paul, 14, died at the Royal Hobart Hospital on April 8, 2022, after he was found unconscious at home at Lauderdale.

On Wednesday in her opening address, Madeleine Wilson, counsel assisting the coroner, said Silas had been subject to bullying and numerous assaults both at school and as he walked through the Hobart central business district.

She also said he had lost a lot of weight and become obsessed with his personal image, spending a lot of time on social media.

Ms Wilson said he had been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and bulimia, but that he’d been of a healthy weight in the lead-up to his death.

Silas’ father Simon Paul told Coroner Simon Cooper his son loved to make jokes and challenge the status quo – for instance walking through town in a skirt to “get a reaction from the (Baby) Boomers”.

But he said this aspect of his nature made him a target for bullies.

Mr Paul also said his son had been a “very good-looking boy, getting lots of attention from lots of young women”.

“I believe this made him a target for people jealous of him, both male and female,” he said.

Nevertheless, he said the difficulties his son faced “did not dent Silas’ kindness or his witty nature”.

He said Silas had been targeted by a group of people, not only from his age group, who were “out to get him”.

Mr Paul also said that during Grade 8, Silas had become “obsessed” with social media – although this had settled down before he died.

He said he would confiscate Silas’ phone, only to find he kept a spare.

Silas’ mother Sylvia Nielson said she had been worried about her son attending Taroona High School, as she’d experienced daily trauma there herself as a student 30 years ago.

“Right up until the end, he was such a joy,” she said.

“He had dreams and plans for his future. His choice to end his life was a desperate act of last resort given he wasn’t safe at school and he wasn’t safe to walk through town.”

Ms Nielson said on the day of his death, Silas couldn’t get on the bus “to spend even one more day at Taroona High School”.

“I didn’t want him to go to Taroona because he was a similar character to me, and I didn’t have confidence that Taroona would have changed in the 30 years since I’d been there,” she said.

She said after an alleged assault at Franklin Square, Silas had come home with a swollen nose and a black eye.

“I asked him what happened and he refused to tell me anything about it but he said he’d gone to the police station,” she said.

The inquest is expected to conclude on Friday.

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Originally published as ‘He wasn’t safe at school’: Inquest examines suicide of Grade 9 Taroona High School student