Dubai police say UK boy's death was suicide

Dubai Police announced that they have closed the investigation into the death of Harry Harling, ruling it a suicide.

Harry Harling died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in Motor City nearly three months ago.
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DUBAI // The British schoolboy who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in Motor City nearly three months ago committed suicide, and the investigation into his death has been closed, Dubai Police said yesterday.

"The case has never been reopened since our first findings which showed that the boy had committed suicide," said a police spokesman. "We have not been commissioned to investigate it further; it is a closed case."

Harry Harling, 15, was found by a security guard on the lawn outside Newbridge Hill building 2 at 9.30am on March 24. It is believed that Harry fell from the common area on the 11th floor, but the precise circumstances are unknown.

The case is now with the Dubai public prosecution, said the spokesman, though it was not clear what role the prosecution would now play.

Police had officially kept the death inquiry and its findings private out of respect to Harry's family, saying only that there were no criminal suspects in the case.

The evening before his death, Harry had attended a party on the seventh floor of the building. He left the party about midnight, after telling friends that he was getting a taxi home.

His parents could not be reached for comment yesterday, but last week they released an appeal for information, referring to what they called an "ongoing investigation" by Dubai Police.

"We fully respect and support the Dubai authorities' ongoing investigation and current actions being undertaken into Harry's death," said the parents, Beverley and Nicolus Harling.

"Therefore, no comment will be given at this stage concerning case details."

* With additional reporting by Martin Croucher