Three 15-year-old school friends from Northern Ireland have taken their own lives within three weeks of each other.

Lee Walker and James Topley, both GCSE students, are thought to have hanged themselves soon after attending the funeral of Wayne Browne, who was the first boy to die, three weeks ago. Lee was, in turn, among the mourners who laid James to rest.

The body of James was found last week on the same lamppost where Wayne took his life.

On Friday night Lee became the third teenager to die. His funeral was yesterday.

The three boys were classmates from Craigavon Senior High School in Portadown, and lived near each other. James was also a neighbour of Stuart Fletcher, 28, who hanged himself in the same housing development in March.

Villagers told The Times that they believed the death of the three youngsters was not directly related to the death of Mr Fletcher, which followed the break-up of a relationship. But they said that the deaths had left the community reeling.

Dorothy Browne, Wayne’s mother, said that she did not know what caused the suicide that left her family totally devastated. “He was a happy-go-lucky teenager,” she said. “He had just paid for a holiday in Gran Canaria this July with his own money.

“He showed no signs that he was depressed at all. But the hardest part is not knowing why. We will probably never know why Wayne did this.”

Mrs Browne described her shock when she heard of the death of her neighbour, James. “I feel for those poor schoolchildren and teachers who are trying to come to terms with this. It has just been devastating for everyone”, she told the local Sunday Life newspaper. “It seems suicide has become some sort of epidemic across the whole of Northern Ireland.”

The deaths have shocked the closely knit population of Laurelvale, a village near Portadown. A psychologist working with children in the village said there were fears that the suicides were linked.

Arthur Cassidy said: “We’ve had young people coming to us crying, and saying that they fear their friend is going to be next.

“My advice for parents in the area and indeed elsewhere would be spend more time with your children and be on the lookout for any radical changes in behaviour.”

But the Rev Brian Harper, a local minister, said he did not think that there had been a suicide pact and that hysterical rumours were taking root in the community.He said: “Parents have been told that their children are dead. Children are receiving text messages that their best friends are dead.

“They are going absolutely hysterical, and once text messaging starts, it flies through the whole community.”

Suzanne Costello, director of the Samaritans in Northern Ireland, said: “The three boys who have died went to the same school but it’s not helpful to link together individual incidents and start rumours of a ‘series’ beginning and suggestions of ‘pacts’ without evidence.”

David Mehaffey, principal of Craigavon Senior High School, said it was trying to come to terms with the spate of tragedies. “The school is trying to provide all of the support which it can,” he said.

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