Mum found dead with son ‘terrified of breast cancer’
A MOTHER who is thought to have killed herself after drowning her seven-yearold son was ‘acutely’ anxious about her breast cancer, an inquest heard.
Russian-born finance analyst Yulia Gokcedag (pictured), 35, had been given a 97 per cent chance of surviving but she was convinced she would be one of the exceptions.
Three days before the tragedy she was due to have surgery and she was also receiving therapy over her ‘extreme fear’ of dying from cancer.
Mrs Gokcedag was found hanging with her son Timur dead in the bath at the family home in the Isle of Dogs, east London, on August 13.
The inquest heard she had also confided to friends that she wanted a divorce and was planning to take Timur to Russia.
In a statement read to the court, Katharina Sellner said Mrs Gokcedag confided in her during lockdown about her cancer and about wanting a divorce.
She said she often heard Mr Gokcedag shouting from next door and that she called police on one occasion in fear of their safety. ‘She said Mehmet would not let Timur speak Russian. She told me she wanted a divorce. She told me she was depressed,’ Ms Sellner said. Husband Mehmet Gokcedag, an investment banker, told the hearing they ‘had certain marriage issues’ but said it was ‘unimaginable why and how she could do this’.
The British-Turkish banker said his wife and her mother would also shout at him and that he felt excluded when they spoke in Russian.
He added: ‘It was a very difficult life. I have a stressful job, yes I did shout but I never abused my wife.’
He also told the inquest of his wife’s battle with mental health. He added: ‘She said that there was a constant vibration inside her that she could not get out of her body. She had a fear of death.’ Psychiatrist Prof Amanda Ramirez said Mrs Gokcedag suffered from acute and severe anxiety, insomnia and a strong fear of dying from cancer. ‘ She would describe palpitations, chest pains, difficulty sleeping. Her anxiety was very hard to bear.’ The Poplar inquest continues.