Father was found hanged in his loft
A32-YEAR-OLD dad with a history of depression and anxiety was found dead by his children after having taken his own life in his loft, an inquest has heard.
At an inquest in Burnley, assistant coroner Mark Williams heard how Kyle Antony Blue Holden, was found hanged in his converted loft at home by his two children on the morning of October 24, 2021.
The court heard Mr Holden, a self-employed plasterer, of Union Street, Whitworth had split up with his partner a year and half previously, after being together eight years.
As was their weekly arrangement, the children, aged six and eight, had been staying with their dad the previous night, according to his former partner and their mother, Katy Elson.
In a statement read out to the court, she said that she had been asleep at home on the morning that he was found dead, when she was awoken by the sound of their children shouting downstairs, who told her that they had found their dad in the loft.
She said that being unable to wake their dad up, they were scared and had walked to her home,
which was some 30 minutes’ walk away.
She said that the youngest child could not wake her dad up when she found him, so she woke up her brother and the pair went up to the loft space.
His former partner said on hearing what the children said, she phoned a relative who told her to phone an ambulance, at
around 8.45am.
On arriving at his home, she was told by paramedics he was dead. Police attended, and the court heard there were no suspicious circumstances or third-party involvement.
His mother, Susan Holden, subsequently arrived, with her partner, and was ‘very upset’, a police statement said.
The court heard in a statement by Mr Holden’s mother that he had refused medication for his depression in the past, preferring outdoor sports as a coping mechanism.
She said the pair had exchanged messages the night before, adding: “I had no idea while I was messaging Kyle that he was planning to do this.”
Dr Anjum Nawaz, a GP at Healey Surgery in Rochdale, said in a statement he had a telephone consultation with Mr Holden on October 22, where Mr Holden revealed he was suffering with low mood and anxiety.
The doctor said Mr Holden had said he was smoking 10-15 cigarettes a day and drinking two bottles of wine a night as a coping mechanism.
Dr Anjum prescribed medication, gave advice and booked a follow up appointment in two weeks’ time.
He also asked him if at any time he felt unwell or had thoughts of self-harm or suicide to contact them urgently or contact 111.
Mr Holden’s former partner, Katy Elson, also said in her statement he had always had issues with mental health and depression, but that this had improved when their children were born, adding that their relationship had been good since they had broken up and he had the children once a week.
The court heard how he had mentioned killing himself to his former partner, but that he subsequently reassured her.
Postmortem and toxicology tests revealed he had consumed large quantities of alcohol, the inquest heard.
Recording a medical cause of death as asphyxiation by hanging, Assistant Coroner Mark Williams recorded a conclusion of death by suicide.