The parents of 21-year-old student who took her own life after feeling 'locked up by Covid' have paid tribute to her 'kind, genuine, bright and bubbly' personality.
Sinead Bowles, a student at Staffordshire University, was tragically found dead at her family home in Eastfield Drive in Hanley, on July 14, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
Her devastated parents Andy and Anita Bowles said their daughter had shown no signs of feeling depressed or having mental health issues before taking her own life.
Sinead, who was a team leader at Alton Towers, had been furloughed due to the pandemic and just ‘put her head down’ to get on with her studies.
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Then days before her death, she had gone out with friends and contracted coronavirus.
Her dad Andy Bowles told an inquest into his daughter's death: "I think her feelings came on quickly. She just felt she’d got Covid and was locked up.
"Like a lot of parents who are in this position, the common denominator is you never expect your child to take that course of action."
The inquest heard how Sinead's best friend Keisha Nichols, who lived next door, had raised the alarm after realising she hadn’t let her dog out.
Earlier that day, Sinead had also sent a worrying text, saying ‘I genuinely wish I could go to sleep and not wake up’.
But by the time she was found, it was too late for paramedics to save her. Sinead had left several ‘goodbye’ notes on her bed.
Sinead had just completed the second year of her degree course at Staffordshire University and hoped to eventually go on to Cambridge to do a master’s.
From the age of five, she had dreamed of becoming a lawyer. But after studying criminal justice and offender management, she realised her real interest lay with helping to turn round the lives of former prisoners.
During the pandemic, Sinead and Keisha had set up a podcast from a storage room, which they used to talk about positive ways to improve mental health.
Mum Anita, who lived with Sinead at the three-storey house in Hanley, said: “She also had a passion for Men Unite and helping others.”
Now the family have channelled their grief into raising more than £1,700 for the charity Young Minds in her memory. Andy scaled Mount Snowdon on Friday (October 8) and is planning to take on the Three Peaks Challenge next year.
The inquest was told that the former Clayton Hall Academy pupil had been a sporty youngster, playing football and swimming. She had also won an award as a fire cadet.
But the loss of her grandparents when she was aged 13 had hit her hard.
Anita said she had ‘started to focus on life again’ in the months leading up to her death.
“As part of her university course, she went to visit prisons around the UK, which she loved. She was a natural in talking to people,” said the 51-year-old.
Anita and ex-husband Andy said Sinead had been a ‘shining light in our lives and was loved dearly by her family and many friends’.
Concluding the death was the result of suicide, North Staffordshire senior coroner Andrew Barkley said Covid may have been a factor in what happened, although it was unclear.
To donate to the family’s Just Giving fundraising page, click here.
