Teen who took life on bridge left no note, inquest hears

Tristan Parvin left no suicide note and gave no indication he was about to take his own life on the bridge where two other men had previously died.

Tristan, who was a pupil at Greenfields School, and lived in Tennyson Rise, East Grinstead, had been spotted by a motorist at about 11.30pm on June 13.

He plunged from the bridge in College Lane onto Beeching Way, a busy A-road through East Grinstead.

Coroner’s Officer Geoff Charnock said Tristan had no previous contact with mental health professionals and the fencing on the bridge had been altered after a suicide from the bridge two years ago.

Speaking at an inquest into Tristan’s death on Wednesday (August 24) he said: “On June 13 at around 11.27pm there was a man who was driving along Beeching Way and saw somebody fall off the bridge and hit the road below.

“The male was identified as Tristan Parvin. He had no contact with mental health services and left no notes explaining his actions.

“There have been two previous suicides on this bridge and there are now higher fences there after the incident in 2014.

“Concerns were raised about the bridge and the height of the barriers and work was undertaken raising the height of the fences so you have to climb it.

“Anybody falling off the bridge would have had to make a determined effort to climb the fence. How high do you put the fencing? If people are determined they are going to go over over it.”

Paramedics and police went to the road below the bridge where Tristan’s death was confirmed at 12.30am on June 14.

Despite no suicide notes being left and no clues as to why he jumped from the bridge, Senior Coroner for West Sussex Penelope Schofield said that she believed the boy’s intentions on that night were to end his own life.

She said: “In respect of the death of Tristan Parvin, a 16-year-old boy, I will record that he died on June 14 at Beeching Way having fallen from the bridge. As we have heard from the evidence there were no notes left by Tristan so we don’t know why he chose to act in this way. The bridge, as we know, has fencing which would require a concerted effort to climb over then he fell from that bridge. I propose to record that Tristan Parvin took his own life.

“This is a tragic death of a talented young man and we are all at a loss as to why her felt it necessary to act this way.”

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