Gilligan’s suicide came after a heated exchange on Twitter during which detractors accused the former athlete of being “worthless,” “scum” and “a waste of skin.” Norfolk Police said Gilligan had swallowed several tablets of a powerful painkiller before lying down on the kitchen floor, where he was found.

When his mother tried and failed to wake him, she contacted emergency services. “Bryn’s laptop computer was on the kitchen table,” she said. “On the screen was a tweet from a stranger accusing him of having ‘zero integrity.’ I think it was that tweet that pushed him over the edge, so that person’s got blood on their hands.”

Mrs. Gilligan said, “I blame heartless online bullies for my beloved son’s death. Bryn knew he’d made serious mistakes, but he deserved a second chance. Everyone deserves another chance, don’t they?”

Gilligan was banned for life from competitive sprinting in 2010, after it was revealed that he had taken prohibited performance-enhancing drugs over a period of years. In September 2011, his appeal to have the ban lifted was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“That was the beginning of his downward spiral,” said his mother. “He had nothing to look forward to, so he lived via the Internet. And the Internet was full of people who kept telling him they hated him. How could they hate him? They didn’t even know him. And now, thanks to them, and thanks to the likes of Keiran Holland, who had a powerful voice in the media and had nothing but condemnation for Bryn, I’ve lost my only son.”

Gilligan isn’t the first victim of online bullying to commit suicide. His mother said, “Twitter and Facebook have to do something so that this doesn’t keep happening. It’s my son this time, but next time it’ll be someone else’s son or daughter.”

As yet, there has been no response from Twitter or Facebook to the news of Gilligan’s death.

CHAPTER 14

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

“THERE YOU ARE,” SAID Charlie, as Simon landed in the CID room like something dangerous that had been thrown from a distance. He’d disappeared briefly.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “This Bryn Gilligan shit’s causing no end of aggro.” Sam, Gibbs, Sellers and Proust moved out of his way as he marched toward Charlie. “Get someone from London who knows what they’re doing to room 419 at the Chancery Hotel straightaway. King Edward’s going to kill Nicki in that room if we don’t get there first. Once you’ve done that, get down there yourself. I’ll follow as soon as I can.”

“You can’t just—” Charlie started to protest.