‘It’s like a never-ending punishment’: How the unexpected death of a teenager crushed a family

In February 2012, 15-year-old Jack Thomas settled on to the sofa with his girlfriend and a cup of tea for the second half of a rugby match. Moments later he died. Joel Day tells his story

Jack was British Taekwondo Champion and won over 50 gold medals (June Thomas)

Sunday 12 February 2012 was crisp and cold, but the low, bright sun hinted that spring would soon be arriving. For Jack Thomas, it felt like everything was coming together. The 15-year-old had just finished his mock exams and was looking forward to the half-term break. Three days earlier, he had been offered a place at Cardiff Sixth Form College, one of Wales’s best schools.

Jack was six foot three and had barely grown into himself. His brown hair was perfectly messy, worn swept across his forehead, and his eyes were a gin-clear blue that caught the gaze of countless girls.

It was around midday when he got up, sauntered across to his mother’s bedroom and collapsed onto her bed to watch a Whitney Houston tribute on TV. The singer had died the night before. “It’s funny that when someone famous dies, everyone gives condolences,” he told his younger brother Owain. “People die every day, and no one cares.”