THE mother of a young man who died earlier this year after spending more than two years severely brain damaged after attempting suicide, has recently endured sickening online abuse.

Jack Barnes, then 18, attempted to take his life on March 4, 2017, leaving him dependant on his mum Helen, formerly of Saundersfoot, now living in Pembroke Dock.

Police found Jack and revived him; he spent a long period in the intensive care unit at Withybush Hospital.

Jack had suffered mental health issues, which Helen has previously said must be talked about and are “not a dirty subject”.

Helen cared for Jack in the following two years after he was released from hospital, creating a GoFundMe online appeal for desperately needed financial support to purchase specialist equipment, allowing her to care for him at home.

Jack sadly passed away on March 23 of this year.

Posting on Facebook on March 21, Helen wrote: “We were given the worst news yesterday. Jack is riddled with infections and wasn’t expected to make it through the night. He’s still with us this morning and we are holding a vigil by his bedside.”

Then on March 23, Helen wrote: “My darling boy passed away peacefully at home this morning holding my hand. I am so proud to call myself his mum.

“Two long years you fought for; I love you forever and always.”

Since then, previous reports of Helen and Jack’s ordeal has been shared on a USA-based Facebook page, which has led to a wave of abusive online comments directed at Helen.

Horrifyingly, this has also led to targeted emails being sent to Helen, through an email address on the original GoFundMe appeal.

Helen has suffered messages telling her how “selfish” she is, how she was “torturing his soul,” and how she was “killing him every day by keeping him alive”.

Speaking to the Western Telegraph on Friday, December 6, Helen said: “I don’t know where these muppets come from, it’s a two-year-old post.

“I’ve had about 30 emails, they are all vile; Facebook will not take it off, the police are involved.

“It was a year ago yesterday that Jack came home, I don’t know why it’s all kicking off after two years.”

Helen told police she is prepared to remove the gofundme page to save the pain she has suffered from online abuse.

She admitted there were times when she wanted Jack's suffering to end during the pain and anguish she suffered while caring for him.

“I asked them to turn off his life support; all these wicked thoughts have gone through my head; I didn’t want my son to die, but I didn’t want him to go through that.”

“He’s only been gone since March, it’s been incredibly hard; I just don’t need this harassment really.

“I can’t understand why that post is two years old and it’s come through now.

“The people have actually gone out of their way to go on the gofundme page.”

Helen said her whole reason for highlighting Jack’s story some two years ago was to fight the stigma of mental health problems.

“This was my whole point of talking to the newspapers in the first place, raising the issue of mental health.

“People should be aware of the mental health problems; it’s not just a question that he’s broken so he should die, it’s about Jack’s best interest.

“You try watching your son every day when all you can do is watch him blink; there wasn’t a day that I wasn’t with him.”

She said the strain of the online abuse had caused her much pain and anguish

“I wouldn’t say these kids have got to me, but they’ve done exactly what they shouldn’t have done.

“I’ve got mental health problems and they could quite easily have taken me down there to dark problems.

“I wish they would all just think before they become keyboard warriors from the other side of the water; we’re still going through the grief.”