A teenage refugee killed himself after the serious nature of his mental illness was not recognised, a coroner has concluded. Mulubrhane Medhane Kfleyosus, 19, was the fourth from his friendship group of Eritrean refugees to take his own life within a 16-month period after arriving in the UK. All four had spent some of their time living in Croydon, south London. Kfleyosus was found dead on 18 February 2019 in Milton Keynes. Osman Ahmed Nur, 19, was found dead on 10 May 2018 in a communal area of a young people’s hostel in Camden, north London. Filmon Yemane had recently turned 18 when he killed himself in November 2017. And Alexander Tekle, also 18, took his own life a fortnight later in December, a year after arriving in the UK hidden in the back of a refrigerated lorry. Kfleyosus’s inquest is the third of the group of friends to conclude. A date is yet to be set for Tekle’s inquest. Issues explored at the inquest included the decision to move Kfleyosus to Milton Keynes from London when he reached 18 even though professionals in London thought he was vulnerable owing to the recent suicides of his friends, the fact he was using alcohol, his mental health problems and also the potential for social isolation in Milton Keynes.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN