Portsmouth man arrested on sexual offence allegation killed himself, inquest rules

ANXIETY about an arrest over a historic abuse allegation led a man to take his own life, a coroner has ruled.
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Peter Hartfree, 50 from Drayton, was found dead in a car park on Hayling Island on February 23, 2018.

He had been arrested on suspicion of sexual offences seven days earlier, but fell between mental health services despite multiple assessments.

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When interviewed by police, he admitted having extreme pornography and videos of murders on his computer – but denied the sexual offence allegation.

Portsmouth Coroner's Court. Picture: Malcolm WellsPortsmouth Coroner's Court. Picture: Malcolm Wells
Portsmouth Coroner's Court. Picture: Malcolm Wells

PC Nathan King, who arrested him on February 19, said ‘he was in crisis’.

Coroner Lincoln Brooks said: ‘Mr Hartfree was very upset at the allegations.

‘He was never charged so the matter hasn’t been explored – it’s not a coroner’s court to comment on that.

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‘When he met his friend Mark Stamos on February 21, the conversation revolved around his great anxiety and stress over the allegations.

‘It’s fair to say he described how morbid Mr Hartfree seemed.’

But a phone call late the following night revealed Mr Hartfree was intent on ending his life.

On the night of February 21, police found him in his car in the New Forest and detained him under the Mental Health Act, believing he was going to commit suicide.

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Following his detainment, he was referred to the Hampshire Liaison Divergence Service and assessed as being a risk to himself, and subsequently referred him to a resolution team, which instead signposted him towards community mental health services.

On the morning of February 23, two members of the public found Mr Hartfree lying in the back seat of his car in car park of the Hayling Billy Business Centre, Furniss Way.

He was pronounced dead by emergency services, with the cause being asphyxiation.

At Portsmouth Coroner’s Court, coroner Lincoln Brooks gave a verdict of suicide, saying he was certain ‘even beyond all reasonable doubt’.

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He said: ‘The only intention I could find, based on him being extremely distressed and despondent about the investigation, is he intended to take his own life.

‘My deepest condolences go to his family and close friends – it’s a very tragic case.’