A teenager who racked up £500 on his father’s credit card jumped to his death hours after telling his school he wanted to kill himself and was scared of going home.

Joon Kyu Kim, 15, died after falling from the top floor of the Bentall Centre in Kingston on July 17, 2014.

Earlier that day he had told a teacher at Coombe Boys’ School in New Malden he was scared to go home and wanted to kill himself as it would make his father “happy”.

Despite the teacher talking to Kingston social workers and the boy’s father about the situation, the teenager was allowed to leave school at 4pm. An hour later, he jumped from the Kingston shopping centre.

This week, a serious case review concluded Joon Jyu Kim’s death “was not predictable and so was not preventable”.

The report, by social work consultant Susan Ellery, also revealed that Joon – referred to as Child B – had previously been subject to a child protection plan after it was found his father had hit him with a golf club in 2009.

The previous violence was not thought to have contributed directly to his death or to have caused his death, the report added.

Surrey Comet:

It said: “Child B said that it was normal for children to be hit in South Korea, and that his uncle and aunt also hit him.

“He said he felt safe at school.”

Joon’s father told a social worker that in Korea a particular kind of wooden stick was used to punish children, and that he had used a golf club as a substitute, the report said.

But it added: “He [Joon] wanted the hitting to end and to live a normal life, described as going home, having dinner and watching TV.”

Surrey Comet:

Joon Kyu Kim told teachers he felt 'safe' at school

Joon, originally from South Korea, had been living in the UK with his brother and father since he was six.

 Surrey Comet:                                           

On the eve of his death, Joon’s father, a builder and heating engineer who was in financial difficulty, discovered his son had stolen £500 to cover his online gaming addiction.

Surrey Comet:

The report stated: “Child B knew that he had let down his brother, as well as his father, in the context of a society that expects high standards of obedience and duty from children to parents.

“It seems likely that it was knowing that he had to face the anger and/or disappointment of both his father and his brother, that made Child B feel he could not face returning home.”

The report also quoted Mr Kim as having said: “Raising him, I did not know how to express my love and give him a sense of peace and protection.”

Joon was placed on a child in need plan in 2010, but this was closed the following year despite a social worker witnessing Joon being hit over the head with a wooden spoon through the window during an unannounced visit.

It added: “Child B’s father’s parenting style was well-intentioned. He wanted the best for his sons, for them to have a better life than he had had, to be high academic achievers, well-behaved and responsible.

“He seems to have found lone parenting a struggle.”

Joon’s father declined to comment.

                  Surrey Comet:

Deborah Walls, executive headteacher of Coombe Boys’ School, said: “Child B was a very popular member of our school community.  We miss him greatly.  I am so pleased that the serious case review report acknowledges him as the boy he was - 'intelligent, funny, a great guy'.

"This was a tragic event, which has affected everyone in our school community, and we appreciate the support we have been given during this difficult time.

“I am pleased that the Local Safeguarding Children Board and the many agencies involved in the serious case review have looked so carefully at the circumstances surrounding his death and if anything could have been done to prevent it.

“It is reassuring that the report confirms that the school acted appropriately and that Child B’s death was not predictable or preventable.

“My thoughts are with his friends and family at what will be a difficult time for them all.”                                      

Surrey Comet:

To read the full report Kingston LSCB Child B Final 2015.pdf

The Mind charity promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. Its helpline number is 03001 233 393.

​To get in touch with the Samaritans in Kingston, call 020 8399 6676 or drop in at 12 St Andrew’s Road, Surbiton from 7.30am to 9pm. Samaritans lend a confidential ear to those in distress.