Employee took his own life after struggling with stress at work
A WELSH Government employee who took time off work due to stress and anxiety took his own life after failing exams.
Gavin Pugh, 27, was found dead at his Cardiff home on August 13 after concerns were raised by his sister, who saw him in tears when she picked him up from work the day before.
Born and raised in Porthmadog, Mr Pugh was described as a keen runner and as a “kind, caring and funny” man.
An inquest hearing at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court yesterday heard Mr Pugh had struggled with depression and anxiety for a number of years.
Having been on an absence of leave, Mr Pugh returned to work on August 12 and appeared to be in distress when his sister Emma Pugh picked him up.
The court heard he said to her: “I don’t want to go through this again.”
Returning to his sister’s address in Canton, Mr Pugh’s spirits seemed to improve and he laughed and joked with his sister and her partner.
She dropped him off back at his home in Adamsdown at 10pm and he was said to be laughing and joking during the journey home.
When Ms Pugh was unable to get hold of her brother the next day and was unable to get into his property, she called the police.
They discovered Mr Pugh had hung himself and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
A cause of death was given as pressure to the neck caused by hanging.
Giving evidence at the hearing, PC James Pugh [no relation] said police seized phones, computers, notepads and financial documents but did not find anything significant.
He said: “Due to his mental health and its severity, Gavin’s family had concerns about him and he was taking regular absences from work, but he assured them he had no intention of doing anything to harm himself, so it came as a big shock to them.
“They were under the impression he did have very high standards and was a bit of a perfectionist and found it difficult to come to terms with not hitting those standards.”
The hearing was told how he had been prescribed anti-depressants for a number of years and had reported suicidal thoughts. But on his last GP appointment he told his doctor that he thought he was getting better.
Laura Lont, Welsh Government HR case adviser, told the hearing that Mr Pugh had struggled with a new role after receiving a promotion and had failed to pass a number of accountancy exams which had caused him stress and anxiety.
She said: “This is a regular thing we see – if someone is unwell there’s underperformance in their work, the two will go hand in hand.”
Mrs Lont said Mr Pugh’s line manager had increased one-to-one meetings and had reduced his workload in a bid to alleviate his stress, in line with Welsh Government policy.
Assistant coroner Sarah Richards recorded a conclusion of suicide.
After Mr Pugh’s death, his sister Emma said: “Gavin was kind, caring and funny, and he is dearly missed by his family and friends. Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy. As a family, our aim is to now raise awareness and prevent further deaths.”
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