A TEENAGER who took his own life had feared he would face a custodial sentence because of his alleged involvement in a New Year’s Eve assault, an inquest has heard.

Macaulay Freeman, aged, 17, was found hanged in the family home at Cotswold Grove, Parr, by his father at 12.15am on Monday, January 20.

A hearing at St Helens Town Hall was told he had expressed concerns in the weeks leading up to his death about the potential consequences of an incident in Haydock on New Year’s Eve.

Coroner’s officer Kevin Farrell told the court it was alleged Macaulay had been assaulted by a number of youths and he had defended himself by stabbing one of them with a knife.

Macaulay had expressed concerns to a family friend that he had considered taking his own life because of the incident.

The inquest heard that when his father asked him about those feelings, Macaulay said it had been the fear of a custodial sentence that had led to the thoughts.

On the evening before he was found dead, Macaulay was with a friend in his bedroom when his father went out to visit a friend.

Hours later he was found dead. As part of an investigation Merseyside Police examined a laptop computer that Macaulay had been using to access social media websites on the day before his death.

A police report of the messages posted online were gathered as part of their investigation but were not read aloud in court.

Coroner Christopher Sumner: “I have no doubt having read the evidence and the fact he was on the social media chatrooms that he intended to take his own life.

“I record a verdict that he killed himself.”