REAL LIFE
Tragic ... Anthony Stubbs
Cavendish Press
Anthony ‘bullied to death by girls’
Mum's agony after 16-year-old found hanged in woodland
BEFORE he hanged himself, Anthony Stubbs carefully wrote out a suicide note and put it in his schoolbag.
The 16-year-old told his mum that he loved her and bequeathed his precious Xbox to his little brother — but he did not explain why he was taking his life.
Still, grieving Denise Machin believes she knows the reason very well.
She blames the bullying girls who hounded him about his sexuality, and his own inner struggle with his feelings.
Denise, 34, says: “Anthony was getting bullied by girls for two years. He would get shouted ‘gay boy’ at, get slapped in the face, come home with his school jumper ripped and even got his phone stolen. He would be upset but pick himself up and go back the next day.
“I spoke to his teachers about it, but Anthony begged me not to get involved because it was making it worse and he’d get embarrassed.”
The school prefect’s body was found in woodland near his home in Leyland, Lancs, on January 14.
He had vanished six weeks earlier, after spending the day with girlfriend Charlotte Mason, 18, and their four-month-old daughter Lily.
Love ... Anthony Stubbs with daughter Lily
Anthony had been with Charlotte for two years, but their love just gave the bullies more ammunition.
Denise, who is also mum to Jodie, 15, and four-year-old Oscar, says: “The couple did find it tough — Charlotte would even be teased with people shouting things like, ‘You’re going out with a fa**ot’.”
Anthony’s suicide note — weathered from the schoolbag being outside for weeks — does not refer directly to the bullying but there are clues it was on his mind.
His mother reveals: “In it, he said that I should never let anyone walk over me.
“He said his little brother Oscar should grow up to be a ‘tough’ lad and that he could have his Xbox.”
Denise suspects that Anthony’s own inability to be seen as “tough” weighed on his mind.
She admits: “To me he always seemed to have camp mannerisms and I always had my suspicions he could be gay.”
Denise had learned that he had flirted with boys online, but she dared not bring up the subject that was such a torment at school.
She says: “He was still with Charlotte and I was worried he was confused about his sexuality.
“I kept it to myself as I didn’t want to embarrass him or scare him off talking to me.”
Proud ... Anthony Stubbs with Charlotte Mason and daughter Lily
It was only when he announced he was going to be a father that she plucked up the courage to tell him it was OK to be gay. Denise recalls: “He shouted that he wasn’t gay and loved Charlotte, but eventually confessed he might be bisexual.
“I told him I knew he loved his girlfriend but that he needed to be honest with her.”
But when Lily arrived, and with Anthony moving in with Charlotte’s family to help out, everything seemed to be going well.
Full-time mum Denise, who split from Anthony’s dad when her son was just a toddler, says: “He was so happy and doted on Lily.
“He and Charlotte looked so in love so I thought maybe he had just been going through a difficult time and had come to terms with his sexuality.
“He was doing so well at school and looking forward to going to college. He wanted to get a good job and do everything he could for Lily and Charlotte.
“He was such a talented boy. He would compete in school talent contests and wanted to be an actor or in the media. He had his whole life ahead of him. He was so smart and funny.”
But she adds: “I think Anthony was very good at hiding how he really felt and making everyone believe he was OK.”
After he disappeared on November 25 — telling Charlotte he was off to his mum’s house nearby — Denise learned he had a secret life.
Loss ... grieving mum Denise Machin
Brad Wakefield
She says: “Charlotte was in a state. She’d seen a suspicious text she presumed was from a girl, but I wondered if it was from a boy.
“We texted the number back and our fears were confirmed as the person said they were male and then said something sexually explicit.
“Anthony was obviously experimenting, finding out who he was.” They reported Anthony missing on November 26, and on December 30 Denise and Charlotte gave an emotional press conference begging the teenager to come home.
But Denise admits now: “The press conference I did was awful — I knew deep down he wasn’t coming back.
“I just couldn’t feel him in my heart any more. I knew something serious had happened.”
When police found his body, Denise was almost relieved — especially because of the note he left.
It reads: “Well, I’m gone but not completely. I will be watching over you and making sure you make the right choices. And don’t forget me, I’m in heaven looking down. Please don’t grieve and try to move on as best you can, I love you all so very much.’
Denise says: “I feel happy that Anthony left me something. He doesn’t give me answers — it does, however, tell us he is happy now and I take comfort in that.”
She adds: “I think his feelings for the same sex left him struggling to know what to do about it.
“I think it got on top of him — coping with these feelings, being a dad and being good to Charlotte.
“I think there should be someone in schools to support teenagers who may be going through this confusion.
“There was no one there for Anthony. I just feel sorry — I feel like I let him down.”
Additional reporting: RUTH WARRANDER
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