The parents of an Angus teenager found dead at his home in Letham have spoken of their sadness.
Conor Turner, 17, died early on Friday morning, only a few days after starting his dream job as an apprentice car mechanic. His mother Diane Turner, 47, has described her shock.
She said: “Con was riding the crest of a wave. He had just returned from the Isle of Man TT where he had won an award for the best new marshal, and buoyed by this success, had gone out and found himself a job rather than returning to college.
“We had recently bought him a car to learn to drive and, whilst he was looking forward to learning to drive, he was finding it more of a challenge than he had thought.
“Con had a rocky start in life. He had to be resuscitated following his birth and was left with mild brain damage as a result.
“Although people wouldn’t have known it, he struggled with a great many things that other people take for granted. He was dyslexic and had memory problems.”
“Con also could find himself overwhelmed by situations that others could cope with and although he had risen to many challenges in his life, there was just a little too much going on recently and he made a bad decision.”
His father Andy, 44, had begun to teach the former Forfar Academy pupil how to drive.
He said: “Con had been working in my shop and the customers really liked him. He was such a happy, friendly guy that you could overlook the little issues with reading and writing.”
Conor’s mother added that her son “will be remembered with love as a gentle happy soul in a hard world.
“He just panicked and he couldn’t see a way out. He wasn’t being bullied or anything like that.
“He was just growing up and gave it his best shot. He was just a genuine soul. Now he’s going to be forever young, happy and smiling.”
Forfar Academy head teacher Melvyn Lynch said: “Conor was a delightful young man who made a significant contribution to everything he was involved in. My heartfelt sympathies are with his family.”
The tragedy came at the end of a week-long national campaign to encourage youngsters to speak out about their feelings.
National Suicide Prevention Week ran from September 8 to 14.