Being dumped by her first love led to the ultimate tragedy for young Hayley-Ann Fenton.
The big-hearted teenager, who had so much to live for, was utterly heartbroken when her boyfriend went back to his wife. Adding to her devastation, she was then subjected to a barrage of hate-filled texts from the man’s wife.
It was all too much for 15-year-old Hayley, who took her own life in July last year.
Now her parents, Kevin (43) and Lesley (45), of Rotorua, are trying to piece together their broken lives after losing a precious, loving daughter who was always the first to comfort other victims of bullying and abuse.
In an emotional interview with New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, the couple say they were completely unaware that their daughter’s boyfriend was a 27-year-old married man.
Hayley met Pelesasa Tiumalu (now 28) of Rotorua while working in her first after-school job at ocDonald’s. They got together when Pele, a father of one, said he had separated from his wife Elina (21).
But he ended the relationship after five months, telling Hayley he was getting back together with his wife.Heartbroken, Hayley texted Pele, saying she wanted to end her life. It was a cry for help, but instead of support, she received a tirade of abusive, threatening text messages.
Shocked, Hayley initially thought the texts were being sent by Pele, but soon realised it was Elina calling her names like “ugly b*tch”, “retarded” and “handicapped”, and threatening to “smash” her.
Last month Pele was jailed for four years and three months for sex with a minor. In oay, his wife Elina, now pregnant with their second child, pleaded guilty to intimidation and threatening to kill. She received a nine-month suspended sentence.
But Kevin and Lesley believe Elina has got off too lightly and want to see law changes to ensure that text bullies can receive much tougher sentences.
Kevin and Lesley smile as they recall their beloved youngest child coming into the world after a 62-hour labour, and how content and happy she was as a baby. She grew into a sensitive child who could be easily upset by people’s comments.
“Names would hurt her,” says Kevin. There was no history of depression during her short life. “She always woke up with a big smile on her face,” Kevin says.
It was in oay last year that Hayley happily told her parents about Pele and introduced him to them. Pele told them he was 20. “To me it didn’t look like he was even 20,” says Kevin, who warned him about underage sex with his daughter. “I said, ‘She’s 15 – there are rules here, mate’.”
When Lesley asked Hayley if she wanted to go on the contraceptive pill, Hayley told her mum, “I’m too young for that.” But in court it was revealed that Pele insisted on having unprotected sex and Hayley had to take at least one pregnancy test.
“You’ve got to take your kid’s word,” Lesley says quietly. Kevin adds, “We didn’t know she was sneaking off to other people’s places. But we knew she loved Pele because there was a change in her – she was so bubbly and happy.”
But their romance was not to last. After five months Pele broke up with Hayley, leaving her completely devastated. Just a few days before her death, Kevin tried to comfort Hayley by assuring her she was beautiful and there were plenty of other guys around.
The next day she seemed less upset and Kevin says the day after she also appeared happy enough before he left for work.
Her parents had no idea she was getting abusive texts. The one that finally broke her will to live was incredibly callous – “Go kill yourself,” Elina texted. “I don’t care.”
Hayley locked herself in the bathroom and took a massive overdose of medication prescribed for her dad. “I love you Pele – you are the love of my life and I will never stop loving you,” she texted.
But she then regretted her decision, texting Pele, “I don’t want to die any more – please come and take me to hospital.”
She walked unsteadily into the lounge where she suffered a seizure in front of a cousin.
In the hospital, doctors fought to save her life but the overdose was so severe Hayley lost consciousness within 30 minutes. Twelve hours later her family had to switch off her life support.
That was when Kevin and Lesley learnt the truth about Pele – that he was 27 and married with a two-year-old.Kevin handed Hayley’s phone in to the police who then searched the staff area of the ocDonald’s where she worked and found a love letter to Pele and a locket.
In court, Lesley and Kevin were shocked to discover that cold-hearted Pele was sitting beside his wife the whole time that she was texting the vile messages to the vulnerable young teen.
But while knowing the cruel couple has been brought to justice helps ease some pain, it doesn’t bring back Hayley to her family. “We want to make sure teenagers have someone to talk to – even if it’s not their own parents.”
Since their daughter’s death, Lesley has had to give up her cleaning job due to the anguish of coping with such a huge loss. Kevin initially tried to drown his sorrows by drinking every night, but has now stopped.The tragedy has put a big strain on their marriage. “We’ve nearly split up a couple of times,” says Kevin.
outside the court after her husband’s sentencing in August, Elina apologised for letting her emotions get the better of her.
“I feel sad, but at the end of the day I’m only human,” she said. But Kevin and Lesley see it differently. “She says that she’s human. But what kind of human does that?” asks Lesley.
