Family fury as mum informed of son’s death by phone call

The grief-stricken family of a father-of-one who took his own life have spoken of their anger at being told of his death over the phone.

Contracts manager Gareth Berrow, 37, was found hanged in the stairwell of his home in Ashford in February following a row with his partner.

His family is now pushing for a change in procedure after his mother, Diane, who lives in Wales, was told of her son’s sudden death by a telephone call from Kent Police.

Mr Berrow’s step-brother, Ian Price, said: “There should be a national accountability that ensures any message given to a family member regarding the death of a loved one is communicated in person.

“After taking that call, if Diane didn’t have the support network around her, anything could have happened - we could have been dealing with two losses.”

An inquest heard how Mr Berrow’s body was found after a row with his partner, Rachel Patton.

The pair had moved from Wales to Ashford in July 2017 for Miss Patton to start her new job at Kent Police.

Mr Price, from Wales, added: “If police turned up, they could have let Diane take a seat and made sure she was in the right frame of mind to take the message.”

Mr Berrow - who had previously tried to take his own life in 2014 - had said he would be moving back to Wales before his body was found.

Superintendent Andy Pritchard confirmed Kent Police called Mr Berrow’s family to break the news.

He said: “Inquiries identified a Kent Police employee as a long term partner and the news was conveyed to that individual in person.

“A further call was made to the family, who are based outside of the county, to also inform them of the news.”

He added an officer’s priority will always be to treat victims and those who have lost someone with compassion and understanding, while explaining the process. He said there has not been a complaint received about this investigation.