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Postman Darren Beech took his own life after he had been struggling during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The 50-year-old was found dead by his two brothers at his Kidsgrove home on May 17.
An inquest into his death at Stoke’s civic centre heard he was found in the bath, a day after appearing anxious while taking his brother’s dog for a walk.
In a statement, his brother Brian said Darren felt he was not adequately protected from Covid-19 at work and was worried about the state of his house and finances. He lived alone and had no children.
He said: “I’m not aware of him having serious mental health problems throughout his life.
“He lived alone, he never married and had no children. He worked as a postman for many years until he passed away.
“He was recently worried about finances, although I’m not aware if he had any serious debt. He was also recently worried about the Covid-19 situation as he said Royal Mail did not adequately protect him at work.
“He was recently trying to see his GP, but couldn’t get an appointment. Apart from worrying about things, there was nothing that gave me cause for concern.”
Brian received a phone call from his brother David on May 17, telling him that he was at Darren’s home in Whitehill Road and there was no answer.
He attended the address and discovered Darren. He has since been unable to get the image out of his head.
Brian said: “He walked my brother David’s dog on May 16, he seemed anxious but otherwise OK.
“On May 17, I received a call from David saying he had attended Darren’s address, saw his car in the drive, but there was no reply to knocking and the doors were locked.
“He had found a note in the kitchen window that said to call Brian Beech. I went to Darren’s house, I looked inside the bathroom window and saw Darren lying in the bath with a lot of blood on him. He didn’t appear to be breathing.
“Police forced entry and paramedics also attended. I’m unable to get this image out of my head’.
Darren’s colleague Amy Jackson said he had told her on May 2 that he ‘nearly killed himself’ the night before.
In a statement, she said: “We worked together at Royal Mail and regularly conversed with each other.
“Over the last couple of years, he became more anxious. He had no partner and no children and work was his main focus in life, so any issued became more signifcant.
“He would get worked up over relatively small matters. Because he couldn’t go home to a partner, he had no one to off load on and talk to.
“On May 2, I was at work when Darren approached me and said he nearly rang me last night. I asked why and he said ‘I was close to killing myself, I nearly killed myself last night’.
Staffordshire Police discovered a suicide note at the property.
A summary from Darren’s GP revealed that he was not diagnosed with any mental health conditions and had only admitted feeling anxious due to issues at work in 2017.
He was not known to mental health services.
North Staffordshire assistant coroner Margaret Jones concluded the death was due to suicide.
She said: “He had been living alone at his home address during the Covid-19 lockdown. There was no significant indication to the family that he would self-harm and very little in his previous medical history in relation to mental health issues.
“The deceased was anxious over the state of repair of his house, financial matters and health issues. He was not coping well during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“On May 17, following concern from the family, police gained entry to the property and the deceased was found dead in the bath, a note was found indicating intent to end his own life and there was no third party involvement.
“I express my very deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mr Beech.”
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The Samaritans : 116 123. Website: www.samaritans.org . Email: jo@samaritans.org
Offer a 24-hour confidential helpline. You can also contact them by text or email.
Men Unite: A local group addressing the rising problem of suicide among men. If you would like to join the Men Unite Facebook group click here.
NHS 111 Service : 111. Website: www.nhs.uk .
Call the NHS 111 service if you urgently require medical help or advice. The service is availabe 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
Mental Health Access Team : 0300 123 0907
The single point of contact and access for all North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust services. The Access Team provides 24/7 cover for all mental health and learning disability services across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
Mind Infoline : 0300 123 3393. Website: www.mind.org.uk . Email: info@mind.org.uk. Text: 86463
Information on a range of mental health problems and support. Lines are open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).
HOPELineUK : 0800 068 41 41
A specialist telephone service staffed by trained professionals at PAPYRUS who give non-judgemental support, practical advice and information to children, teenagers, young adults aged up to 35 and anyone concerned about a young person. Opening hours are 10am to 10pm, Mondays to Fridays, 2pm to 5pm, weekends and bank holidays.
NSPCC Childline : 0800 1111. Website: www.childline.org.uk
Children’s charity offering support and carrying out research into mental illness.
SANE : 0845 767 8000. Website: www.sane.org.uk . Email: sanemail@sane.org.uk
Out-of-hours mental health helpline offering specialist emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers. Open every day from 6pm to 11pm.
Staffordshire Mental Health Helpline: 0808 800 2234. Email: staffordshire.helpline@brighter-futures.org.uk. Text: 07860 022821
