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A coroner controversially exonerated an Audi garage of blame for the suicide of an 18-year-old apprentice mechanic who complained about being bullied by colleagues .

An inquest heard George Cheese, from Woodley , was locked in a cage and had his clothes set on fire by staff at Audi Reading.

Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford made the ruling in a narrative verdict after a three day inquest at Reading Town Hall on Thursday, May 25.

While Mr Bedford said some of the staff’s behaviour was unacceptable, he noted the firm had made significant structural changes to the its work ethic since George’s death.

George's parents Keith and Purdy Cheese, of Kingfisher Drive, told the inquest he had been “over the moon” when he got the position but soon started coming home covered in bruises and had holes burned into his clothes.

Mr Bedford heard that on a series of occasions - dismissed by colleagues as “banter” and “horseplay” - George had been locked in a cage, doused in brake fluid and had his trousers set on fire.

George was found dead by a neighbour in Highwood Nature Reserve in the early hours of April 9, 2015.

A few weeks later, after Thames Valley Police had closed the investigation and George’s possessions were returned to his parents, his mother discovered 14 diary entries in the calendar app on his iPad, describing harrowing events from his workplace.

One said: “My boss told me to hurry up and hang myself because I’m a useless piece of ****."

George's line manager Terry Kindeleit said he did not believe this message was referring to him but expressed a possibility it could have been be master technician Paul Clifford, who had once “gone berserk” when George showed reluctance to mop the garage floor.

George had referred to a “PC” in his diary entries, writing: “PC tied me up, pressure washed me. Thought it was hilarious. I couldn’t stand up afterwards. He called me a ***** and I had to walk home soaking wet.”

An entry, also directed at “PC”, claimed he had approached George after his parents had complained to the company and called him “a ***** who went telling tales to mummy".

Mr Clifford told the coroner he had no memory of either of the events and said he did not believe George had ever called him his boss.

Giving evidence he seemed baffled by the bullying allegations.

He said: “I am not a shouter or a screamer.

“Why would I tell someone he should hurry up and kill himself?”

He added had been known to tell apprentices off and call them “idiots” if they had done something silly but would never say something that extreme.

Mr Kindeleit said the attacks he had been made aware of only lasted until December 11, 2014, nearly four months before George died.

After George’s parents contacted him, he arranged a formal meeting with the garage and asked his employees to “lay off” George, but said he only disclosed his mental health problems to a select few, including Paul Clifford, Simon Wright and Charlie Gardener.

The first “prank” Mr Kindeleit was aware of was on October 1, 2014, when George was driven around in the boot of a car.

Zero tolerance policy after incidents

While Mr Kindeleit dismissed several incidents, such as being sprayed with a hose or being made to walk one mile back to the garage after a test drive, as “horseplay”.

He said he took the incident when George’s trousers were set on fire far more seriously, and added they now had a zero tolerance policy in place to prevent such behaviour in the future.

Mr Bedford said in his conclusion he recognised George’s parents’ urge and ire to blame their son’s death on the Audi dealership, but added the steps taken by its management in the aftermath of the tragic events had been successful to improve the state of the workplace.

In addition to taking a management course with the charity Mind, which provided insight into mental health problems in the workplace, Mr Kindeleit said he had left the "ivory tower of staff management".

Mr Kindeleit’s team had also implemented frequent team-building exercises as well as weekly employee appraisals to improve the conduct of managers and supervisors.

His death was a "wake-up call and a shock to garage"

Mr Bedford said: “In the early part of Mr Kindeleit’s evidence I was concerned about the apparent under estimation of issues that clearly took place."

However, he added as the inquest progressed he recognised George’s death clearly “came as a wake-up call and a significant shock to the company".

The coroner said he was impressed by the measures taken by Mr Kindeleit in response to complaints from George’s parents, as well as a review into Mr Wright’s conduct six month’s after the teenager’s death.

Mr Bedford said: “Senior management at the company did bring serious action against the mentor who was involved in the fire episode with George, further involvement with Mind, and a change in emphasis in further management."

During his verdict Mr Bedford said George’s poor treatment from his colleagues was one of several factors which contributed to his death.

Another key factor was the failing relationship with his girlfriend, who Mr Bedford had deliberately kept away from the inquest as he did not believe she was responsible for George's death.

George may also have feared he was suffering from cancer, Mr Bedford said, as police had discovered searches for lung tumours on his iPad, and he had been blighted by terrible coughs for several months.

George's death was not the result of any singular event

He had also suffered from some degree of mental illness since the age of 14 or 15 years and had told Julie Adams of Berkshire Mental Health, he had seen a school counsellor about self-harming problems during that time.

Mr Bedford concluded: “George took his own life."

He ruled this was not the result of any singular event but rather the combination of factors in George’s life at the time.