Neve to be buried next to tragic Jonny

SUICIDE teenager Neve Lafferty is set to be buried next to her tragic boyfriend, we can reveal.

The troubled 15-year-old will lie forever beside her beloved Jonny McKernan after Tuesday's funeral.

Grief-stricken Neve had battled to cope after the 16-year-old's death from a drugs overdose eight months ago.

And yesterday a poignant card written by the broken-hearted teenager before she took her life still lay at his grave in Helensburgh Cemetery, Dunbartonshire.

The rain-soaked tribute read: "You're still the one, the only one I want to love forever. Always in my heart. Love you loads. Wish you were here. Neve xxxx"

Last night a friend of Neve's shattered family said her mum Colette Bysouth was comforted by the thought her daughter would not be alone for eternity.

The source said: "Colette didn't realise the extent to which Neve was grieving. This gives her some comfort that she can help them be together in death."

Neve and pal Georgia Rowe, 14, jumped to their deaths from the Erskine Bridge on Sunday.

The girls had been living at the Good Shepherd Centre in Bishopton, Renfrewshire. As well as facing the agony of losing Jonny, troubled Neve had been left deeply traumatised by seeing her father kill her best friend's dad.

Paul Lafferty, 45, got into a fight with neighbour Brian Folan at his Helensburgh home in 2006.

Folan stabbed him 19 times with a bread knife but Lafferty grabbed the blade and knifed his attacker once - killing him. He was charged with murder but cleared because he acted in self defence.

Lafferty moved to Denmark after the case and wanted Neve to come with him, but she refused.

Her parents had separated years before and mum Colette, 39, now lives with new partner, David Dundas, and Neve's step-sisters Alisha, eight, and four-year-old Erin Rose.

Neve came to the attention of social workers in 2007 after teachers grew concerned about her out- of-control behaviour.

A social work source said: "She was often drunk, ran away, fought with her mum and her family suspected she was dabbling in drugs. Police had even spoken to Neve to get her to change her wild ways."

A family friend added: "Neve was screaming at school that she didn't want to go home. She was also slashing her arms and showing other pupils her scars. Neve went completely off the rails. She even attempted some sort of overdose."

In a chilling warning of her future intentions, Neve left a haunting threat on her Bebo page. The message read: "Me and you are friends . . . you fight, I fight . . . you hurt, I hurt . . . I cry, you cry . . . you jump off a bridge, I'll miss you."

Neve had been in the secure unit at the Good Shepherd Centre but was downgraded to the open unit and was allowed out on day visits. And her family were hoping she would spend Christmas with them at home in Helensburgh.

The social work source added: "She wasn't in the secure unit as she was doing well. The fact that her family knew she was to be home soon makes it so hard for them to understand."

Neve's funeral mass will be conducted by the same priest who carried out the service for Jonny.

Father John Lennon said: "To everyone that knew Neve she seemed a very happy girl and was looking forward to getting out at Christmas. She was with her mum that afternoon, they spent time together, which makes it very hard." Earlier this week, grieving Colette made an emotional visit to the Good Shepherd Centre - where tragic Neve and Georgia, of Hull, met and became friends.

Georgia had been placed in a secure children's unit near her home in England after a string of attacks on family members.

From an early age she had shown disturbing behaviour and relations feared her mother's drug and alcohol abuse while pregnant had caused lasting damage.

Georgia was moved to Scotland, where she had relatives when the unit shut. She went to Notre Dame High School in Glasgow before being moved to the Good Shepherd. In a message to her brother five weeks before her death, she said she was "not too bad" and was "trying to make a fresh start".

Incredibly, during her visit to the Good Shepherd it was Colette who consoled the girls' distraught teachers and pals. A source close to the bighearted mum said: "Colette wanted to be a healing presence for them.

"She told them they must not blame themselves and let them know that Neve considered the school to be her home. She liked the other pupils and staff and wanted to be a counsellor herself. This was a great consolation to all of them." Last night a spokesman for the Catholic Church, which runs the Good Shepherd, called Colette's visit "tremendously brave".

He added: "It was a remarkable and heroic thing to do."

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THE LAST CALLS

TRAGIC Neve Lafferty told her best friend "love you always" just hours before she leapt to her death.

In an emotional call, the anguished 15-year-old phoned pal Gemma Curwen to say goodbye.

Gemma, also 15, wept: "She phoned me for two minutes and said, 'Love you always and miss you loads' then she said, 'You know you'll always be a great friend'.

"I didn't think anything at the time but looking back now, it was her saying goodbye. She made a lot of phonecalls to friends that night."

Neve was out with her dead boyfriend's sister, Deonne, known as DeDe, when she called.

Gemma, from Garelochhead, Argyll, said: "Neve said she was out with DeDe and asked me how I was and she told me she loved me.

"When I came off the phone I didn't know what she was going to do. I think she knew then what she was planning and was just trying to say goodbye to us all."

Gemma had been friends with Neve, from Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, since they started at the town's Hermitage Academy Secondary School together four years ago.

Looking at a treasured picture of them standing together in front of waltzers on Helensburgh Pier, she added: "We were always with each other. She was a great friend, always giggling and laughing.

"When she went into the home I sort of lost contact with her. I last saw her a few weeks ago and she said she was going to visit her granny."

Tormented Neve was left distraught two years ago after witnessing her dad Paul Lafferty stab neighbour Brian Folan to death.

Gemma recalled: "She told me she saw it happen and that she saw the blood everywhere. Neve was close to her dad - she loved him to bits.

"She'd been through and seen too much and then was put in a home.

"She hated it. She wanted to be back in Helensburgh."

Troubled Neve was first reported to social services by a concerned teacher in 2007, who said she was "crying and screaming".

And the youngster thought she was pregnant last year, aged just 14.

A social work source said: "Neve told her schoolpals she was pregnant with Jonny's baby early last year when she was only 14 but it was a false alarm."

Meanwhile, Gemma planned to say her own goodbyes to her pal last night at a family viewing.

Neve's mum, Colette Bysouth, lives in Helensburgh with her stepdad David and two stepsisters. Gemma said: "Her family have invited me and a few close friends to go and see her.

"I'm going to write a letter to her and put in some photographs of us both together."

Neve's funeral will take place at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Helensburgh on Tuesday.

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BULLY'S WEB RANT

TORMENTED Georgia Rowe was the victim of a vicious bullying campaign in the days running up to her suicide.

The teen was bombarded with threats and warned she would be "battered" by older, tougher girls at the Good Shepherd Centre.

Desperate Georgia, above, even told a friend she wanted to run away.

Four days before her death, Georgia sent a Bebo message to a pal, saying: "Everybody is arguing with me. Am on the run."

One Good Shepherd resident, using the name Miss Murdoch, threatened Georgia on Bebo.

In a rant littered with swearing and spelling mistakes, she posted: "But Aye Swear Oan It Ahm Going Tae Kick F*** Out Of Georgia.

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"She Tried Tae Get Wyde Wii Zoe Ehn Aye Stepped In And She Tried Tae Get Wyde Wi Me A Tried Tae Smash Hurr But Tooo Much Staff !

"Ehm She Slagged My Wee Nephew And Kayleighs Raging Sum ***** Tae Smash Hurr Eht Skewl Orr Shes Cuming Up Tae Smash Hurr! Ahm Shaking Mahnn Am Going Tae Kull Ehh Wee Dingo !!!!!"

After Georgia killed herself, pals hit back at 'Miss Murdoch' on the site. One posted: "Aw She Done Was Bully Her N Bost Tae Aw Her Pals That She Was Gawna Smash Her."

Another wrote: "Miss murdoch people shud read ur coments on ur page, sain ur goin ae smash georgia 7 das ago! Sad bitch."

Now Georgia's devastated aunt is considering suing workers at the Good Shepherd Centre. Tanya Rowe, 46, of Mauchline, Ayrshire, who raised Georgia after her mum couldn't cope, said: "I simply feel numb at the loss of Georgia.

"It is fair to say I will be considering legal action in time. I will be concentrating my efforts to ensure Georgia did not die for nothing."

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