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IT was the letter which could have saved his life.
But Jamie Mooney never found out he had been offered the job interview he had been so desperate for.
After countless failed job attempts, the 18-year-old took his own life on a railway line just hours before the letter arrived at his home in Saltwell Place, Bensham, Gateshead offering him an employment chance.
Today, his heartbroken family told how Jamie, known as Slim or Butterbean to his mates, was trying to turn his life around.
“I just don’t understand why he did it,” said his mam, Joan. “He gave me a kiss, told me he loved me, and went out. The next thing the police were knocking on the door saying they had found him on the railway.
“We’d had our arguments, but I loved Jamie to bits. We had a house fire in January and he kept telling me not to worry, everything would come round and be good again.”
Jamie had been released from Deerbolt Young Offenders’ Institute last November after serving a sentence for assault. He had also served time in Castington Young Offenders’ Institute for being drunk and disorderly.
But as his 19th birthday approached, he vowed to turn his back on his teen tearaway habits and make something of his life.
“As a teenager, he had got into trouble like a lot of lads do,” said his big sister Maggie Maxwell, 24.
“He got in with the wrong crowd, and when he went out drinking he would get angry and aggressive. But he had finally realised that was the problem.
“Jamie was determined to turn himself around. He had realised that getting into trouble wasn’t the way he wanted to live his life, and he had sworn that he would never go back to jail.
But Jamie Mooney never found out he had been offered the job interview he had been so desperate for.
After countless failed job attempts, the 18-year-old took his own life on a railway line just hours before the letter arrived at his home in Saltwell Place, Bensham, Gateshead offering him an employment chance.
Today, his heartbroken family told how Jamie, known as Slim or Butterbean to his mates, was trying to turn his life around.
“I just don’t understand why he did it,” said his mam, Joan. “He gave me a kiss, told me he loved me, and went out. The next thing the police were knocking on the door saying they had found him on the railway.
“We’d had our arguments, but I loved Jamie to bits. We had a house fire in January and he kept telling me not to worry, everything would come round and be good again.”
Jamie had been released from Deerbolt Young Offenders’ Institute last November after serving a sentence for assault. He had also served time in Castington Young Offenders’ Institute for being drunk and disorderly.
But as his 19th birthday approached, he vowed to turn his back on his teen tearaway habits and make something of his life.
“As a teenager, he had got into trouble like a lot of lads do,” said his big sister Maggie Maxwell, 24.
“He got in with the wrong crowd, and when he went out drinking he would get angry and aggressive. But he had finally realised that was the problem.
“Jamie was determined to turn himself around. He had realised that getting into trouble wasn’t the way he wanted to live his life, and he had sworn that he would never go back to jail.
