Young friends of Jean-Pierre Le Bachelet helped carry his coffin at a celebration of his life at the Vale Castle on Saturday. (Picture by Daniel Guerin, 0602249)
THEY were only boys themselves, supporting their friend, Jean-Pierre Le Bachelet, for the final time on their young shoulders.It was the last thing they could do for their friend, their brother. They gripped each other’s shoulders, trying to find their feet over the grass and cobbles of the Vale Castle and deliver J-P, as they knew him, safely.
The 14-year-old Year 9 Grammar School student committed suicide almost three weeks ago and just under 300 people gathered to celebrate his life on Saturday.
The son of Mandy, who works at Specsavers, and Colin, an employee of the Royal Bank of Canada, Jean Pierre, J-P to anyone who knew him, had an older brother, Marcel, 17. Gary Vaudin led the humanist service, only the second such ceremony to have been conducted at the castle.
Mrs Le Bachelet said if any good was going to come from the death of her son it was that his friends had to communicate with each other more face to face. ‘Pick up the phone or go around to see them, hold their hand and tell them that you are there for them,’ she said.
She placed a single white rose on her younger child’s black coffin, which had his trademark Emo Box design on the side.
J-P was part of an Emo subculture, a group who expressed themselves through poetry and were highly emotional, sensitive, shy and often introverted.
In the UK, Emo groups have been associated with self-harm, depression and suicide.
‘Emo or emotionally expressive and sensitive by nature, J-P exorcised the inner demons that tormented him in a dramatic, albeit tragic way,’ said Mr Vaudin.
J-P was found at Rousse Tower. He died from asphyxia by hanging.
Mr Vaudin said that not all teenagers who defined themselves as Emo harboured dark, suicidal tendencies, but J-P was different from most.
‘He felt alienated by a world that he perceived as ignorant and cruel. Battling anger, pain, inner turmoil, he grew to loathe himself, self-harmed and, unable to talk to anyone about his state of mind, expressed the ultimate message.’
Mr Vaudin said despite the abundance of affection, love and friendship which surrounded J-P, his life had been brought to a tragic, unnatural and untimely end.
‘J-P determined he would be the one to decide how and when that would happen. Whatever his reasons, the decision he made two-and-a-half weeks ago must have seemed preferable to living on in a confused and tormented state of mind, facing an uncertain future,’ said Mr Vaudin.
He said they could only speculate why J-P had chosen to end his life when he did.
Jeff Smith, head teacher of the Grammar School, was among many who paid tribute to J-P.
Friends remembered a funny, caring and popular boy at school.
Article posted on 7th July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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