Boy died 'imitating Depp role'

[Capn_Enigma]

A 12-year-old boy accidentally killed himself as he tried to imitate Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, an inquest has heard.

More here.

[Charity]

Because of all the jumping to conclusions in such cases, here is another article which states the boy suffered from ADHD and they think it may have something to do with it.

Certainly no healthy kid of 12 would just hang himself after seeing it in a movie..

I want to add, my thoughts are with the family but also with Johnny Depp.

Knowing he loves children this will be a huge blow for him.

Poor johnny, cannot be easy, i wish him my best and hope it won't get him down too much.

Johnny Depp's pirate role 'led boy to hang himself'

By Richard Savill

(Filed: 16/09/2005)

A boy of 12 who was found hanged may have been trying to copy Johnny Depp's escape from execution in the Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean, his mother and a consultant psychiatrist told an inquest.

Scott Buckle had watched the film on video and told his mother, Fiona, before he went to bed at 9.20pm, that it was "brilliant".

The next morning his mother went to wake him for school and found him hanged by the neck with a tie in his bedroom.

Mrs Buckle, 45, a social worker, told the inquest: "No one will know what was going through Scott's head before he took the action which led to his death.

"But we believe the most likely explanation is that he may have been role-playing a hanging scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. He had watched and enjoyed the film for the first time that evening and said it was brilliant."

She added: "Scott liked films and he liked to role-play afterwards. Sometimes he would sword-fight after watching a video. He thought he was invincible and took some risks. He was impulsive.

"In the film Johnny Depp escaped and so I wonder if he was influenced by that."

John Talbot, a consultant psychiatrist, agreed with Mrs Buckle that the film may have influenced her son.

He told the inquest: "The film does not contain horrible scenes of hanging. They are very Hollywood-type scenes. But because of his troubled early upbringing Scott might well have identified with the anti-hero portrayed by Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean."

A scene in the film shows Depp swinging from a noose but being rescued at the last minute.

The inquest in Swansea was told that, after watching the video at his home in the city, Scott pushed the rewind button to watch it again. But his mother told him it was bedtime and he went to his room.

Scott had been diagnosed as suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and had been treated with the drug Ritalin, the inquest was told. Mrs Buckle, who adopted Scott when he was seven, two years after he had been put into her care, said the drug appeared to have few side-effects.

Philip Rogers, the Swansea and Gower coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: "He may not have appreciated the risks of the sort of action he participated in."

Scott's birth parents, Sheila Thomas and Christopher Jorgensen, attended the inquest on Wednesday. Mr Jorgensen told the hearing: "Mrs Buckle and her husband have always been good parents to Scott."

Walt Disney Pictures in California said it was "extremely saddened" to hear of Scott's death.

  External links

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: Imdb

[Pew]

"But we believe the most likely explanation is that he may have been role-playing a hanging scene from Pirates of the Caribbean."

We believe . . ?

most likely . . .?

Sounds like alot of heresay and conjecture. Maybe he was playing Judas Preist records backwards also . .

[Meg Wardell]

Good point, P.E.W.

[Sir Eric]

It doesn't sound to me as if anyone is blaming POTC for this unfortunate event, so let's not get too defensive. In fact, the articles here even go so far as to say that the scenes in the movie are relatively tame and "hollywood"

This kind of thing happens all the time. I remember those kids who were killed after watching a movie about football players (Varsity Blues, maybe?) and imitated the scene where the kids go lay out on the highway as traffic speeds along over them. Heck... how many older, supposedly "intelligent" kids get hurt imitating the stupid antics on shows like "Jackass" or Backyard Wrestling?

No doubt, if the poor boy was suffering from ADHD, that played a part, but you have to remember that most kids that age have a poor understanding of mortality and lack action/consequence critical thinking skills. Kids imitate movies and video games all the time. Most of the time it's harmless, but on occasion tragedy will occur.

What they seem to be saying is that the hanging scene was an influence, not the cause. That's a huge distinction, and quite frankly one that's hard to dismiss. No, we don't know what was going through the boy's head... and that's exactly why those commenting on the situation can only use terms such as "most likely" and "we believe." Assumptions reached on examining the evidence available and presented as theory. (I.E. "it is most likely walking the plank was never actually a punishment used by pirates" is a theory based on existing evidence, but not an absolute.)

Just like it would be leaping to conclusions to say "POTC made this boy hang himself, it would be an even greater leap to say it had absolutely nothing to do with it.

[Iron Bess]

Well said lad...

Well sad.

It's a sad, sad thing indeed. one in which there will never be a definitive place to lay blame and it does not sound to me as if they are trying to.

[Christine]

One thing I wonder is why didn't they talk with the boy after he watched the movie? Let him know it's only a movie, that the actions in it should never be recreated. My parents watched movies and tv shows with my sister and I when we were kids. They'd talk with us about what we saw. Telling us it's not real and not to try what we saw. As to what has already been said, kids at a young age have a poor understanding as to what's real and what's not. And it made it even more difficult since the boy had ADHD. This is why you can't just put on a movie or tv show and leave them to it by themselves. This is very sad indeed.

[Sealegs Constance]

A gree with all of you and I can see everyones point. My son who is also 12 years old also has ADHA and is very immature for his age. No he is not on Ritlin I took him off of that years ago did not llike what it did to him. He is on Concerta and is doing well. He has seen POTC millions of time but he has never acted out any of the movie. Now he does do a lot of things on impulse and sometimes does not think about what he is doing and that is what gets him in trouble. My kids are always talking to me about what happened in the movies and are always asking me question about what happened, especially my oldest who is ADHD. As for what Christine said about they have a hard time figuring out what is real and what is not real is true. Brandon has a hard time with that. That is why I find it very important to talk to him about the things he sees in movies that bother him. This does help. I really feeling for the parents, but I keep wondering why they were not supervising him after the movie. A very very sad situation indeed.

[The Doctor]

It's not uncommon for kids on medication for controlling ADHD and depression to experience euphoric or manic interludes. A similar thing might easily have happened if he'd watched "Spiderman" or "The Fantastic Four." It's a tragedy, no matter how you look at it.

[Sealegs Constance]

It's not uncommon for kids on medication for controlling ADHD and depression to experience euphoric or manic interludes. A similar thing might easily have happened if he'd watched "Spiderman" or "The Fantastic Four." It's a tragedy, no matter how you look at it.

Aye Jack what you say is true counciling helps both the child and the parents. It is a tragedy no matter how you look at it. :)

[Black Hearted Pearl]

I really feeling for the parents, but I keep wondering why they were not supervising him after the movie.  A very very sad situation indeed.

Aye, my oldest son be high functioning autistic with ADHD. He cannot take stimulant medication such as Ritalin and Concerta, so he is currently taking Stratterra. I, too, have to explain that what happens in movies is not real and there is never a substitution for supervising your children.

On Soapbox,

I despise the way the parents talk about how the boy was adopted and came to them with problems, like a defective toy, and how it's not their fault taking on such a problem child. An inquest should be made into the 'parents' of this child, not POTC or Disney. There is no substitution for supervision.Off Soapbox,

[Captian Wolfy Wench]

I heard about this, what rubbish! Every kid nowadays has ADHD, although I must admit, ADHD is different from ADD, seeing as the H stands for "hyperactive."

[Lady Seahawke]

IMHO

1. movies do influence children and those making movies for kids to see should acknowledge this fact. TV shows have disclaimers stating no try these stunts. At the beginning of the credits perhaps movies such as these should have a side reel showing how some of the safety factors are done for stunts such as these. I know Jackie Chan many times have this in his movies...might be time others think about imitating him.

2. yes children need supervision, but it stated the boy was told bedtime and went to his room, what is a parent suppose to do plop a chair down next to a child's bed and never move. Sometimes you have to walk away and when you do you silently pray all will be well.

3. you can talk to a child till you are blue in the face and it doesn't mean the child will accept or listen to it. How many times have we all been told we shouldn't do something and still did it...that goes for children a 1,000 times over.

4. people want to know how this could happen, his parents are trying to come to terms with this tragedy so not only was his ADHD given as a factor, the movie was given as a factor, his being on his own given as a factor, but a problem early start was given as a possible factor also...thus all things were being mention as an explanation plain and simple

5. This was a horrible accident with many contributing elements...however, the bottom line a boy is dead, and his parents will have to face this every day for the rest of their lives. All others are merely on the sidelines.

My prayers are with the boy's family and friends, especially the parents, they are the ones with the indescribable and excruciating pain and sense of guilt of what if. For no parent is meant to outlive their child...the younger they are the harder it is... especially in a manner described ...a manner that is so senseless as this let alone we try to second guess this situation and blame them or accuse them of sdome wrong or by stating they thought their son was some sort of broken toy.

My prayers are with them and all within this country that have lost loved ones ...May they find some comfort in their time of sorrow. .