I told him to come home so I could bring him out of the darkness
MUM’S HEARTBREAKING PLEA TO SON WEEKS BEFORE HE TOOK OWN
THE mother of a young man struggling with his mental health told him to move back home from Greater Manchester so she could help ‘bring him out of the darkness’ – before he took his own life.
‘Beautiful’ and ‘kind-hearted’ Jack Kelly was found dead in the bathroom of his Salford flat on September 14.
The 23-year-old said he was unhappy in his retail job in the weeks leading up to his death.
His mother urged him to go home to Plymouth so she could help ‘bring him out of the darkness he was suffering’.
Tragically, he was found hanged just weeks later.
An inquest into Mr Kelly’s death was held at Bolton Coroners’ Court by area coroner Alan Walsh on Tuesday.
It heard Mr Kelly, originally from Plymouth, moved to Manchester for university and stayed in Salford after graduating.
He met his boyfriend Jamie Docherty while working at a nightclub last year. The pair moved into a flat together on Elmira Way, Ordsall.
On September 13 – the night before his death – Mr Kelly met Mr Docherty and a friend for a couple of drinks.
The court heard Mr Docherty left early as he had work the next day. Mr Kelly stayed out. Mr Docherty woke the following morning, at around 6am, before realising Mr Kelly had not returned home.
After going to work, he text Mr Kelly throughout the morning, until he received a message which ‘didn’t really make sense’.
Mr Docherty attempted to call his partner, but he didn’t answer his phone.
He used the ‘Find my Friends’ app to trace Mr Kelly’s location. His device showed him at home. Mr Docherty assumed he was sleeping, the court heard.
Later that day, at around 3.30pm, Mr Docherty asked their flatmate to check on Mr Kelly. His bedroom was empty. The flatmate then found Mr Kelly unresponsive in the bathroom. Emergency services were called, but he was sadly pronounced dead at 4.20pm.
The court heard Mr Kelly, who worked as a sales manager, told doctors about his depression.
His mother Alison Bingham said her son ‘struggled with his mental health’ and overdosed in 2017.
During calls in the weeks leading up to his death, Mr Kelly told her he had been feeling down. His mum asked him to go home, but did ‘not get the chance to help him’.
In a statement, she said she wished her son had ‘never moved to Manchester’ and described him as a ‘wonderful son, brother and friend to many’.
Mr Kelly had taken cocaine prior to his death, a post mortem revealed.
The court heard there were traces of cocaethylenein his blood, meaning he had been drinking alcohol while using the drug. The level of alcohol in his blood meant he would have been feeling moderately drunk, which could have ‘resulted in emotional instability’.
Police confirmed there was no evidence of criminality or thirdparty involvement. Coroner Alan Walsh recorded a conclusion of suicide. Before concluding the inquest, he said: “I am extremely sad that at the age of 23 and with his life before him, he should end his life in this circumstance.” Paying tribute to him, Mr Kelly’s boyfriend Mr Docherty previously said: “Jack was a beautiful person, he was cheeky, a bit of a rule breaker, generous and kind-hearted. Jack lit up the lives of so many people. He was the most beautiful person I have ever seen and although too short, our time together was the best time of my life.”
LIFE
I am extremely sad that at the age of 23...he should end his life in this circumstance Coroner Alan Walsh