A YOUNG woman committed suicide after sending worrying text messages and looking at a suicide forum online.

Lucie Watt was found dead in her flat in Ceylon Place, Eastbourne, on April 11 after friends became worried about not seeing her for days, an inquest heard.

The 18-year-old, who was a barmaid at the Duke of Devonshire pub in Terminus Road, Eastbourne, sent texts to family at around 1am on April 11 telling them she “loves them” but also how she thought she should “finish it all now”.

Although there were no notes from Miss Watt’s GP to suggest health problems, the inquest heard she may have been suffering from depression, the Eastbourne coroner’s court heard.

DS Joe Benton examined Miss Watt’s phone and found a message which he deemed to be a suicide note.

He also found the last internet page she opened was a suicide forum.

Miss Watt moved out of her family home when she turned 18 and her mother, Karen Waller, described her as “hard work and always liked a lot of attention” and was also a “daredevil”.

Her mother’s statement also told the inquest how Miss Watt self-harmed when she was 14.

She started harming herself again in February this year.

A note written by Miss Watt was found by her mother detailing how she loved her family but that she would “rather end it all now”.

In a conversation with her mother days before she killed herself, Miss Watt revealed she was upset about a sexual relationship with a man who lived in the same building as her.

Mrs Waller told her that if she was not enjoying living at the flat she should move back in with her family, but Miss Watt chose not to.

The inquest heard Miss Watt was not a “naive” user of alcohol and her mother said that she had been drinking more than usual in the build-up to her death.

Her body was found by Bruce Humphries, a letting agent from Room2Let, which was involved with the property Miss Watt was living in.

In a statement Mr Humphries said he was contacted by two of Miss Watt’s friends to check her flat to see if she was there.

He discovered her body in the bathroom.

A toxicology report carried out by Dr David Wright found high levels of alcohol in Miss Watt’s blood consistent with intoxication, but no traces of other substances.

Coroner Alan Craze recorded the death as suicide by hanging with the presence of ethanol.