NEWS

No Net link to strangulation

A 15-year-old schoolboy in northern Greece who suffered a heart attack after tying a towel around his neck was probably trying to commit suicide and had not been inspired by bizarre rituals that he may have read about on the Internet, police said yesterday. The unnamed boy is currently in the intensive-care unit of a hospital in Thessaloniki after his father found the teenager lying on a bathroom floor with a towel around his neck. Police said the boy had hung the towel from a peg and tried to strangle himself. He suffered a heart attack and then brain injury due to the lack of oxygen. His injuries could have been worse had it not been for the assistance of his father, who is a nurse. Police examined the teenager’s computer amid fears that he had picked up the idea from something that he saw on the Internet. However, officers said that there was nothing unusual or threatening about the websites the boy visited.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.