3 children hang themselves after seeing Saddam execution

Malaysia Sun Thursday 4th January, 2007

The fall-out of the graphic video images of Saddam Hussein's execution are still being played out.

At least three children, having seen the Saddam hanging on television, have simulated the incident, resulting in their deaths.

A 10-year-old boy in Texas, Sergio Pelico, hanged himself after seeing the Saddam video. He had been asking questions about the Saddam execution. "We're theorising he tried to experiment or mimic the behaviour and it got out of control," local police captain Thomas Claunch said.

According to a police report the boy apparently went to his room, attached a piece of clothing to a bunk bed, and tied it around his neck. There were other occupants in the home at the home, including adults and other children.

"There was nothing to indicate any criminal wrongdoing, it appears to have been a tragic accident." Mr Claunch said.

In Pakistan the Press Associated reported a similar incident involving a nine-year-old boy, Mubashar Ali, who also died after hanging himself. According to the boy's father, Mubashar and his sister, who is a year older, saw Saddam's hanging on television. They then tried to simulate the incident by tying a rope to a ceiling fan and then putting it around the boy's neck.

Elsewhere, in India a 15-year old girl, who her father said had become depressed at seeing Hussein's killing on television, said she wanted to feel the pain Saddam suffered before he died. She hung herself from a ceiling fan, said local Police superintendent Pravin Kumar.

The girl, Moon Moon was found dead on Wednesday morning.

"She said they had hanged a patriot," said Manmohan Karmakar from the town of Kharda.

"We didn't take her seriously when she told us that she wanted to feel the pain Saddam did during the execution."

"She kept watching the scene over and again and didn't take food on Saturday and Sunday to protest against the hanging," he said.