Former England captain Butcher: ‘My son was a victim of war’

Former England football captain Terry Butcher said his son Christopher was a “victim of war” as an inquest heard the former soldier struggled to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) before his death.

Christopher Butcher, 35, had been a captain in the British Army and served in Afghanistan with the Royal Artillery.

But on his return he turned to drugs as he battled PTSD.

An inquest in Ipswich concluded that Christopher died of an abnormal enlargement of the heart, of uncertain cause, combined with the effect of drugs against a background of PTSD, coroner’s officer Stefan Jochan said.

Christopher died at the family home in Suffolk last October.

His father told reporters that Christopher’s life “spiralled downwards as the demons took control of his mind” and he “became a victim of war” after tours of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dan Sharpstone, Suffolk’s assistant coroner, said: “Such men and women are ultimately casualties of war, deserving of both our sympathy and our utmost gratitude and respect.”

Terry Butcher: “Demons took control of son’s mind.”