A man grieving over the death of his mother pinned a note to his front door warning staff from a removal firm not to enter as there was a dead body inside.
Staff from Kernow Removals had arrived at the bungalow in Helston on Friday, March 15 to remove the belongings of the occupant Ian Mark Beckerleg who was leaving.
An inquest heard that, despite his mother owning the home in Green Crescent, 59-year-old Ian Mark Beckerleg was being forced to move out.
Staff from Kernow Removals arrived at the bungalow, which borders the Gwealdues Estate green, at 1pm.
When they went to the front door they found a note pinned to it saying: “Dead body here, please call Helston Medical Centre”.
The door was unlocked but was partially shut by a chain. The removal workers called 999 and when the police arrived they found Mr Beckerleg dead inside.
Police also found a four-page final message in the bedroom leaving his belongings to his nearest next of kin, a cousin in Herefordshire who hadn’t seen him for years.
Coroner Guy Davies said the cousin was his only real family other than an older sister who he had not been in contact with for a number of years.
An investigation by the police found no suspicious circumstances and that Mr Beckerleg had no physical health issues prior his death.
However, he had been seeing his GP at Helston Health Centre for a number of years due to depression.
Mr Davies said Mr Beckerleg had cared for his mother while she was ill. “There had been a fall out in the family and he had deep grief on the death of his mother,” he said.
The inquest heard that in 2021, Mr Beckerleg had gone to his GP suffering from anxiety and depression.
“There were family issues that he was struggling with”, said Mr Davies. “He returned to see his GP in October saying he was worried about eviction and had suicidal thoughts. He said he had no plans for the future but he went on to say he had no plans to take his own life.”
He was put on anti-depressants but came off them because he was worried about becoming addicted and was also put in touch with the mental health team.
In June 2022 there was further mental health support from his GP following the death of his mother. He was referred for grief counselling in 2023 and in December he was treated for insomnia.
“He was becoming increasingly worried about his housing situation as his mother had owned the house. As a result of various legal procedures, he was required to leave the house,” said Mr Davies.
Mr Beckerleg contacted his GP again in February this year and an appointment was made but before he could attend he died.
Recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Davies it was clear Mr Beckerleg intended to take his own life.
If you need to talk to someone for any reason, there are people to reach out to:
Shout: Shout is a free, confidential, anonymous service for anyone in the UK. It won’t appear on your phone bill. To start a conversation, text the word 'SHOUT' to 85258.
Samaritans: Call day or night for free on 116 123.
Mind: Get short and longer term support in a mental health crisis by visiting www.mind.org.uk
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