‘No-one’s fault’ that teen’s issues were never properly investigated before death
ARUNCORN teenager who took his own life had personal issues that ‘through no-one’s fault were never properly investigated’, a coroner has concluded.
An inquest at Warrington on Friday heard that 19-year-old Thomas David Morgan was found dead by his older brother Jack at home on Princes Close in Runcorn at around 10.30am on Sunday, August 13 last year.
Jack rang his girlfriend then 999 and was told to cut Thomas down and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
He was joined by his partner and trained first-aider Linda who began CPR.
Paramedics confirmed death on arrival.
According to medical and police background evidence, Thomas had made two previous attempts to take his own life, one when he was 16 and talked down from a railway bridge and another in which the ligature snapped when he was 17.
General practitioner Dr Rachel Arnold said he had been prescribed anti-depressants but stopped because he did not like them after he contacted doctors in 2016 due to ‘low mood’, panic attacks and loss of confidence, and had not attended a review appointment.
He has also attended a one-off appointment with a team in St Helens after the first attempt to take his own life
North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said Thomas had taken part in a phone assessment with the home treatment team but had not responded to two letters offering an appointment.
Michael Wallbank, assistant coroner for Cheshire, referring to a statement from Thomas’s mum Melanie, said her son had been ‘bright and popular’ and was a ‘star pupil’ and ‘gifted footballer’ at school.
Thomas’s mum spoke at the inquest to confirm essential details and said he had been a ‘star pupil’ in school, ● played sports including five-a-side and golf, and was close to his family.
He had developed some anger issues at 13 around the time of his parents’ break-up and had begun smoking and self-harming as well as being ‘moody and impulsive’.
Thomas left school at 17, learned the roofing trade with his father before taking over the family business.
The inquest heard he had selfharmed in the past and had broken up with his most recent girlfriend about three months before his death.
Police ruled out suspicious circumstances, a post mortem found no injuries other than ligature marking and toxicology tests found ‘moderate’ recreational levels of alcohol and cocaine in his blood and urine.
In the 24-hours leading to his death, Thomas had taken his cousin on a tour of what Mr Wallbank surmised was a ‘trip down memory lane’ including to Frodsham, and was his way of ‘saying goodbye’.
The coroner raised one unusual factor in that Thomas had shared his phone pin number with his cousin.
During the previous week on August 10 he had also stayed at his father’s caravan.
He had been described as ‘laughing’ and ‘joking’ during his various visits to family and friends in the week preceding his death.
Early on the morning of his death, Thomas had also texted his brother Jack at around 8.38am to postpone a game of golf that they had scheduled that day back to noon and said he was having his hair cut.
The inquest heard his mum found a ‘suicide note’ from Thomas after his death with his handwriting but it was not dated and might have been from the previous year when he had expressed similar motivation.
Mr Wallbank concluded he took his own life by hanging.
In his conclusion the coroner said: “He had a close and loving family and good friends.
“He clearly harboured problems, which through no-one’s fault were never properly investigated.”
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 years of age in the UK.
Residents in distress can Samaritans on 116 123.
Papyrus is a national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide and can be contacted by young people up to the age of 35 with worries or by others with concerns about others by calling the HOPElineUK number on 0800 068 4141, texting 07786 209 697 or emailing pat@papyrus-uk.org.
Other mental health and bereavement support services and charities can also be found online. call .