Alcoholic commits suicide after parental scolding; girlfriend attempts suicide

Last Updated on Tuesday, 3 June 2014, 2:45 by GxMedia

The quiet hill-top community of Hosororo Hill in the Mabaruma Sub-region was thrown into a state of shock Monday night after a young man from the area committed suicide after being scolded by his parents about his addiction to alcohol.

And reports suggest that 23-year-old Tommy Bennet’s girlfriend subsequently consumed a potent substance on hearing of her partner’s demise. She is presently under observation the Mabaruma Regional Hospital.

Reports are that around 8pm this evening when the rest of the community was preparing to retire to their beds for the night, the young man’s parents stumbled upon his body which was hanging from the roof of the house he lived in, close to that of his parents. Neighbours and residents subsequently converged at the Bennet’s home while news of his girlfriend’s action spread. She was placed in a car and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Bennet lived alone and persons in the area noted that he has been a heavy drinker from a very tender age, a problem which has been given little attention in area given its blatant use by young men, many of whom are school-aged.

The issue has been engaging the attention of the authorities for a number of years and Permanent Secretary within the Amerindian Affairs Ministry , Nigel Dharamlall had mentioned in sections of the media that in addition to Mabaruma , the issue of misusing alcohol has been affecting a number of other Amerindian communities over the years, for a number of reasons.

He said that the Amerindian Affairs Ministry has been involved in a number of programmes with various organizations within those regions to address this issue and noted then that the ministry stood ready and willing to work with any organization to put special programmes in place to render assistance, since the issue indeed need urgent attention.

Alcohol abuse was also discussed at several meetings of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) but it remains unclear if the systems put in place have produced desired results.