Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Inquiry to be held into man’s death
AN inquiry is to be held into the death of a young Dundee man who took his own life.
Mark Smith hanged himself i n October 2015 after years of battling depression.
Despite the efforts of hospital staff, the 23-year-old, who was originally from Kirkton, couldn’t be saved by medical staff who attended a property i n Menzieshill.
Mark had struggled with depression for many years after his sister Kim died aged just 15 in 2005 from an asthma attack.
He also took badly when his mum passed away six years later, following a battle with cancer.
The fatal accident inquiry will be held at Perth Sheriff Court to establish the circumstances and causes of Mark’s death.
The case will be heard under the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Death Inquiry (Scotland) Act, 1976. A preliminary hearing will be held on February 21 at the court, followed by the i nquiry on March 22, also at Perth Sheriff Court. At the time of his death, Mark’s brother Ronnie Smith paid tribute to the former St Columba’s Primary School pupil.
He also pleaded with anyone suffering from mental health problems to talk to someone and seek help, so that other families don’t have to go through what he and his family have faced.
Ronnie said: “He left such a big gap in my life.
“I just can’t believe what he did to himself. I’m going to miss him so much. He was my little brother and I loved him to bits — it’s heartbreaking.
“Mark wasn’t happy for a long time with everything that happened.
“Our sister died when she was just 15 from an asthma attack which he really struggled to deal with.
“Then our mum died in 2011 from cancer.
“He never got to see her before she went and so her passing hit him even harder.
“Now I just want to ask him ‘why were you so stupid and why didn’t you just talk to someone in the family for help?’
“I hope his story can help other people because I don’t want this happening to somebody else.
“We’ve had a lot of people in our family suffer from anxiety and depression and you need to seek help.”
Ronnie added that Mark had donated his kidney, two lungs, pancreas and liver, effectively saving five lives.