A mum claims her debt-ridden son 'took his own life' with just £4.61 left in his account after waiting weeks for Universal Credit.
The Mirror reports how Phillip Herron, 34, struggled to pay back high per cent interest rate debts of £20,000.
In a bid to help himself repay the debts, some of which he amassed through payday loans, he applied for government help.
However the dad-of-three was allegedly faced with a month-long wait for Universal Credit, which saw his debts spiral further out of control.
And sadly, after posting a picture of himself crying and uploading it to social media, Phillip is believed to have took his own life.
Mum Sheena Derbyshire, 54, claims the wait her son had to endure for Universal Credit was "the nail in the coffin".
She told the Mirror added: “He was a single dad. He was responsible. He always had money before and the kids had the best of everything.
“But Phillip had quit his job as a factory worker recently to look after his young kids and he got in to debt, which must have been difficult for him.
"His death came as a complete shock"
“To suddenly have no money for them must have been very hard. He was waiting for Universal Credit and had just £4.61 when he died.
“When people turn to the Government for help they’re already desperate.
"To make them wait so long for payments is dangerous.
“There’s no reason it should take so long. Phillip already had problems but I think this was the final straw.”
Phillip Herron was deeply in debt when, without telling his family, he applied for Universal Credit.
His mum Sheena said: "His death came as a complete shock.
"I couldn’t understand why he’d do this.”
It was only following her son's death that Sheena pieced together what had happened after finding bills in his home.
Papers in the dad's home showed he owed around £20,000 to banks, utility firms and payday lenders with huge interest rates which Sheena claims were “1,000 per cent".
She also found an eviction notice sent to him by the Bernicia Homes housing association.
And she discovered from his children that things got so bad at Christmas “Santa had not come”.
Sheena was also able to unlock her son's phone which unearthed emails and recorded calls which showed the reality of the dad's desparation.
Mum Sheena added: "I was trying to knit his life together.
“You could hear him changing so much over those final months.
“He used to be very quietly spoken but in his recent calls and messages he was often screaming.
"There is not a second I don't miss him"
“He loved his kids but he started shouting at them. And you can hear him sobbing in calls. I heard him talking about suicide to other people.
“I wish he’d told us how he was feeling but we never knew.
“Listening to those last few months of calls I started asking myself, ‘Who is this person?’ He’d changed so much so very quickly.
“If we didn’t have his phone and his computer we wouldn’t have known what had been going on for him. It was like walking backwards through his life.
"It’s the most heart-wrenching thing I’ve ever done.”
Ever since her son's death Sheena said she has been haunted with guilt and will "never be ok".
She said: "There’s not a second in the day I don’t miss him.
“Every morning I wake up and wish I didn’t have to face another day without him, but I keep going for the kids.
“His youngest daughter is totally lost. She misses her dad so much.
“She had a dream the other night that he came to her. She said, ‘I asked him not to leave again. But when I woke up he wasn’t there’.
A full inquest into Phillip's death, which is to be held in Sacriston, County Durham, is yet to take place.
However Sheena said she hopes the evidence she has found will be used to "expose the failings of Universal Credit".
She believes talking about his suicide and its impact on his family can help others too.
Sheena said: “You don’t just go out one day and take your own life. There’s a build-up.
“So please, please talk to someone. Don’t let another family go through this. If you can’t talk to family or friends, there are people like Samaritans.”
Last night a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Herron’s family.
“Suicide is a very complex issue, so it would be wrong to link it solely to someone’s benefit claim.
“We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable claimants and keep guidance under constant review to provide the highest standard of protection.”
A Bernicia spokesperson said when tenants face difficulties “our approach is to seek to work with them to help overcome these.
“A small number of cases could ultimately end in residents losing their home but this is a long process and we see this as a last resort.
“Help and support is available at every stage. We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr Herron’s family.”
