Fareham dad-of-one David Thorn 'no failure' despite feeling driven to take his own life, grieving mother tells inquest

A jogger found David Thorn, 41, hanged along a wooded footpath next to Crofton Cemetery, Stubbington, on June 3, 2021.

Now an inquest has heard how the dad-of-one suffered from ‘crippling’ depression after a series of painful setbacks, including the breakdown of his marriage, redundancy from a previous job, and mounting debt.

But his family have called for him to be remembered as a loving and caring son, brother, and father to his 12-year-old daughter – a man who ‘was not a failure’ despite his own struggles with his self-worth.

In a statement read out by Coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, mum Elizabeth Thorn said: ‘I want it known that he was not a failure.

‘After leaving school he joined Grosvenor Casinos and worked his way up to pit-boss.

‘I’m not sure when his depression and anxiety started...he was made redundant from the casino, and sadly his marriage didn’t last.’

‘He had seven suicide attempts – he never really sought out help from professionals, and with a lack of funding, they never sought him out.’

She added: ‘If there is an after-life, he will surely find happiness there. I take comfort that he is now free from pain.

‘I will miss him so much.’

Dad Richard Thorn said the bureaucracy around his son’s medical records left him feeling ‘absolutely helpless’ when it came to knowing what support he needed.

He said: ‘I tried to get help through his GP in Portsmouth.

‘But there was about of data protection, and I was denied any information.’

David had previously spent time in the Orchards acute care mental health unit in Locksway Road, and he had spoken to his doctor about his spiralling mental health in the year before his death.

Ms Rhodes-Kemp praised the Fareham resident for fighting his ‘crippling’ depression, which he described in a letter as leaving him ‘broken’, in order to seek help from a doctor.

She said: ‘I think he did really well to tell the GP (about his problems with mental health) – but unfortunately he stopped taking his medication the GP had prescribed.

‘Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, regular reviews kept becoming delayed.

‘All the normal follow ups didn’t happen in the some way because there was so many people with ill-health in the health care system.’

The inquest also heard that David suffered from severe anxiety, which led him to become concerned that he was going to catch Covid-19 from handling packages in last job as an Amazon delivery driver.

Now the family hope that those who knew David will remember him at his best.

David’s sister Lucy Thorn said: ‘He was loving, caring, and funny – he had a quirky sense of humour.

‘I wish I had known before – he would come around and seem normal.

‘He had a beautiful smile, but towards the end, it was a vacant expression.

‘He thought it was all about money, but his time was enough for (his daughter).

‘All he needed was time.’

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.

Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year – for anyone struggling and in need of someone to talk to. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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