Leo Toze, 17, had been suffering with depression when he died on the tracks near Biggleswade railway station in Bedfordshire.
He was the son of Sharon Grenham-Thompson an Anglican minister in Milton Keynes. She is an author, radio presenter and a former solicitor and prison chaplain.
At an inquest in Ampthill on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, coroner Dr Sean Cummings said he died at around 2pm on Friday, September 3, 2021 at the Holme Green pedestrian crossing at Langford near Biggleswade.
The driver of a northbound train, travelling at 125 miles per hour, sounded his horn when he saw him approach the track and lie down.
Leo, who had been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder, was identified by his fingerprints.
In a family statement read to the inquest Leo, who lived in Wixams, near Bedford, was described as ‘exceptionally clever’.
He was due to study Maths at Warwick University and had been studying Maths, Further Maths and French.
He loved trains and knew all there was about the rail network. He was also involved at North Crawley village cricket club where he was a volunteer and scorer.
His family described him as: “So very precious, gentle, sensitive, caring, witty and funny.”
The last year of his life was not peace because he became “entangled in anxiety”, his family said.
On the Monday before he died Bedfordshire police carried out a welfare check on Leo as some of his online friends were concerned about posts he had made.
A suicide note was found on his computer after his death.
In a note found on his computer he wrote: “I have been falling down a horrible spiral of negativity for five or six years.”
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