Parents blame cannabis for son’s suicide

A YOUNG man who stabbed himself to death became mentally ill after he smoked cannabis on a trip to Amsterdam, an inquest was told.

Liam Postlethwaite, 26, had no history of mental health problems when he took the drug legally in the Dutch city in 2011.

An inquest in Preston heard that Mr Postlethwaite, who studied sociology at Sheffield University and worked as a rope access technician at an outdoor pursuits centre, began to suffer from paranoia on his return to the UK and had to be detained in a mental hospital.

In January, his mother Julie found him dying from stab wounds in her garden in Chorley, Lancs.

She said in a statement that he had appeared better by 2015 and stopped his medication. However, last December he returned home feeling “low”.

Mrs Postlethwaite added: “On January 6, Liam was very bad, and we took him to A&E. Four days later, he was anxious and worried about being taken away again. He had convinced himself that he had done bad and the paranoia had taken over.”

James Newman, the Preston coroner, recorded a verdict of suicide and said: “Liam had a long and documented history of mental health issues, initiated by events in 2011. He was a very anxious young man who was worried about being detained in the hospital.”