'Internet suicide cult' rips town apart

A small town has been rocked by the copycat suicides of seven young people.

Local people fear the hangings are linked to a chilling internet cult.

Within 24 hours of the latest death last week, two friends of the teenage girl had also attempted suicide.

Seventh victim: Natasha Randall killed herself last week. Two of her friends have since tried to commit suicide

Yesterday police took computer equipment from 17-year-old Natasha Randall's home in Bridgend, South Wales.

Detectives confirmed they are investigating a possible suicide chain – the seven dead are all linked in some way although they did not all know each other.

Several of them posted personal profiles on the social networking internet site Bebo.

Since their deaths friends have set up memorial sites where they can post messages and obtain a "virtual brick" in a "remembrance wall".

Raising new worries about the influence of the internet on young people, police have private concerns that youngsters may consider it fashionable to have an internet memorial site and are killing themselves for reasons of prestige.

Natasha's hanging was the seventh in Bridgend in a year.