BBC forced to APOLOGISE after radio host asks caller about his 'preferred suicide method’
BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire presenter Trish Adudu quizzed the guest after he admitted on air to repeatedly trying to take his own life.
She said: “How do you decide to do it? What method?”
The caller spent the next few minutes giving a graphic description of his preferred method of suicide.
But mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, who was awarded an MBE after launching a social media campaign to find a stranger who talked him out of suicide, said Ms Adudu could have pushed vulnerable listeners to attempt copycat suicides.
He said: “If there’s someone vulnerable listening to that station who may be intuit position themselves, then suicide could be triggered.
The theme of the radio programme was “happiness”, before moving on to “say no to suicide”.
Listener Dave Goodwin, 64, condemned the host’s behaviour.
He said: “It was 8.20am and they were discussing the best ways of killing yourself. There would have been children listening at that time.”
Aimee Gee, a representative for the mental health charity Mind, said: “It is really important to report about suicide with caution, as studies have shown that some reporting can lead to copycat behaviour.”
BBC guidelines explicitly stress against discussing suicide methods.
The episode has been removed from iPlayer.
A BBC spokeswoman told the Mirror: “Part of this interview may have been upsetting to some and we apologise.”
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