Text bullying victim tells lover 'see you in heaven'

Hayley-Ann Fenton. Photo / Martin Sykes.

"I love you I'll see you in heaven," a 15-year-old girl wrote in a text message to her married, 27-year-old lover.

Almost three hours later, she heard back: "don't text me again just f*** off I don't care if you kill yourself I not even like you a***hole".

She was rushed to hospital, and the next morning her parents had to turn off her life support.

The last words of Hayley-Ann Fenton have been released in a plea by her mother that parents realise how devastating text bullying can become.

After a coroner's inquiry yesterday, Lesley Fenton said that just seeing people smile still brought back anguish about the death of her bubbly, happy-go-lucky daughter 17 months ago.

"I want to put it out there for all the mothers," Mrs Fenton said.

"Hayley was always caring, giving, had a heart of gold, and her first love ... Love was blind in a child's eyes."

Hayley met Pelesasa Tiumalu while working with him at McDonald's in January 2009. They began a sexual relationship, and Hayley and Tiumalu told her parents that he was only 20.

Six months later, Tiumalu's separated wife, Elina Tiumalu, returned with their almost 2-year-old son, and Tiumalu told Hayley he would leave her. "oh my god so we're breaking up? I can't lose you babe please please I won't be able to live without you," Hayley texted on a cellphone she used only with him.

Two minutes past midnight, Elina Tiumalu replied with a bullying text message. "stop f***en texting my husband you ugly bitch or I'll f***en smash your face ... you f***en retarded handicap abnormal punani bitch f*** off".

That day, Hayley bade goodbye to Tiumalu. "hi Pele um this might be the last text you ever get from me ... I love you with all my heart".

Shortly afterwards she had second thoughts: "I don't want to die any more can you please come take me to hospital".

She didn't hear back for 80 minutes and messaged Tiumalu apologising that she was not actually in trouble, saying someone else had sent the earlier texts.

Hayley then received abuse from Elina Tiumalu, who typed on her husband's phone as he stood by and watched. Hayley apologised again, even as she was about to be carried away in an ambulance.

"Before you even think of taking your life give your parents the last chance," Mrs Fenton pleaded.

"She made the biggest mistake in doing what she did."

The incident had broken the whole family, she said. "It ripped us all apart.

"How can an adult get away with bully texting to a child? I hope the coroner works something out for other families so hopefully they don't have to cross this path that we've crossed."

Tiumalu was this year jailed for four years and three months for having sex with a minor, while Elina Tiumalu was given a nine-month deferred sentence for intimidation, under the Summary Offences Act.

Coroner Wallace Bain said he would look at what criminal charges applied to text bullies, particularly where there was a death.

Vicious texts were harmful because they could reach teenagers alone in their bedrooms, he said.

"You [teenagers] don't know how to deal with that," Mr Bain said.

"It could be helpful for other parents to see the aggressive, violent context of these texts and what their children might be receiving."

A submission to the inquiry from Netsafe said one in five secondary school students were victims of text bullying. Operations manager Lee Chisholm said bullied teenagers could block offenders' texts from reaching them, but there was no way to monitor bullying on their phones.

Hayley-ann's last words
Hayley-Ann Fenton, 15

9.45am: "hi Pele um this might be the last text you ever get from me um I cant handle just being friends cause I love you too much and I cant live without you so um I'm gonna go now I love you and only you bye I'm so sorry tell everyone I said goodbye I love you with all my heart"

1.12pm: " ... you're the only one who knows I've done this ... I love you I'll see you in heaven"

1.17pm: "I don't want to die any more can you please come take me to hospital"

1.47pm: "please help me I'm in my bathroom please"

2.37pm: "I am so sorry that wasn't even me who text you all that honest I wouldn't kill myself ... are you still my best friend?"

REPLY (Elina and Pelesasa Tiumalu, 27)

3.44pm: "f*** off stop texting me or my wife going to come kill you"

3.46pm: "don't text me again just f*** off I don't care if you kill yourself I not even like you a***hole"

3.48pm "this is Lina are you f***ed in the head or what tell me where you are at and I'll f***en come show you what suicide really is f***en disabled f***"