A 23-year-old lorry driver took his own life during an alcohol and drug binge after struggling to come to terms with a relationship breakup, an inquest has heard.
Tom Simm was found ‘collapsed and unresponsive’ at his home in Keats Avenue, Wigan, on March 2.
An inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court yesterday heard the 23-year-old lorry driver had split up with girlfriend just weeks earlier.
Tom Simm was found ‘collapsed and unresponsive’ at his home in Keats Avenue, Wigan, on March 2
Tom’s mother, Joanne Atherton, told the hearing her son had wanted to keep the relationship going and started drinking heavily following the breakup.
She said he told her he ‘did not want to be here’ and had considered driving into a wall.
Ms Atherton said her son was prescribed antidepressants and had taken time off work as he was struggling with his mental health.
In a statement read to the court, she added: ‘There were nights when he sat there sobbing, asking me to fix him.’
The inquest heard Tom started seeing a woman in September 2019 after they had met a barbecue the previous month.
In a statement read in court, the woman said they moved in together during the first lockdown, but Tom started to become ‘quite possessive’.
She said they then went to live with her family, but argued often so he returned to live with his mother.
The young woman told the inquest Tom drank ‘a lot of alcohol’ and she noticed he had been self-harming.
When she challenged him about scars on his arm, Tom told her he had cut himself while drunk but did not know why.
Ms Atherton said her son was prescribed antidepressants and had taken time off work as he was struggling with his mental health. (Pictured, Tom with his mother Joanne)
In October of last year, the woman said Tom ‘broke down’ and told her he did not see any point in life and revealed he had thought about driving off a cliff.
The woman said she applied for mental health support on his behalf, but he failed to engage.
On the evening prior to his death, the hearing was told Tom sent the woman a series of messages in which he confessed he still had ‘strong feelings’ for her and that she ‘meant the world to him’.
However, he never received any response.
The following morning, family members found him ‘collapsed and unresponsive’ at home.
An ambulance was called and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Pathologist Dr Stephen Wells said a post-mortem examination had given Tom’s cause of death as ‘hanging’.
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Toxicology results showed Tom had alcohol in his system at nearly three times the legal drink limit, and had also taken MDMA and cocaine.
Forensic toxicologist Julie Evans said the effect of the substances on Tom’s state of mind ‘could not be determined’.
Dr Lakshmi Manoharan, a GP at Fig Tree Medical Practice in Farnworth, said Tom had told a mental health practitioner in February that he was experiencing mental health problems as a result of the breakup.
He told the inquest Tom had revealed he was not eating, felt irritable and angry, was drinking heavily and was feeling ‘low and depressed’.
Dr Manoharan said Tom admitted he had thought about self-harm, but denied having suicidal thoughts.
During a further meeting, he told a separate mental health practitioner that he had stopped drinking as much, but had passive thoughts about death.
He was offered a referral to psychological therapy, but declined.
Delivering a conclusion of ‘suicide’, senior coroner Timothy Brennand said he believed Tom’s actions were both ‘deliberate and intentional’.
He added: ‘While there was no note or letter of intent or any specific or overt reference to him ending his life, there is a strong background and history associated with depression, low mood and anxiety.
‘He had recently consumed a combination of cocaine and ecstasy which may well have meant he was experiencing a comedown effect.’
Mr Brennand said it was clear Tom was suffering from a ‘catalogue or emotional difficulties’ prior to his death.
He added: ‘The deceased found himself at a very dark place and a low point in life and came to the decision he would end his life.’
On the evening prior to his death, the hearing was told Tom sent the woman a series of messages in which he confessed he still had ‘strong feelings’ for her and that she ‘meant the world to him’
Paying tribute to her son following the hearing, Tom’s devastated mother described him as ‘her world’ and said the last few months had been ‘really hard’.
Ms Atherton added: ‘I’ve spent so much time questioning and asking what ifs and could I have done more.
‘He made a choice that he didn’t want to be in this world anymore.
‘I just wish like many young men he had found the courage to open up and talk more about how was feeling and would encourage anyone that is struggling to reach out and get help.
‘He was loved by so many and is deeply missed.’
Ms Atherton and her partner recently undertook a parachute jump to raise money for Papyrus – a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.
A fundraising page has so far raised more than £1,800 in memory of Tom.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joanne-atherton1
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