An assistant chief constable took his own life while self-isolating in his garden to protect his family.
An inquest into the death of James 'Jimbo' Connelly-Webster, acting Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, found his family noticed a stark deterioration in his mental health after he began isolating from them at the height of the pandemic.
He had become become "paranoid, anxious, reclusive" before he was found dead by his wife on April 1 in his chalet at the bottom of his garden in Crackington Haven, Bude.
His son Max recalled hearing his mother's anguished screams that morning.
An inquest held in Truro, Cornwall, heard the 58-year-old retired officer was highly respected and well-liked but "changed completely" during his isolation, Plymouth Live reports.
A heartbreaking statement from his widow Maureen was read out by acting senior coroner Andrew Cox, which revealed he became "paranoid and neurotic" during his time in the chalet and worried what the community would think if they saw one of the family walking their dog at the beach.
A six-page note found at his bedside revealed how much he had changed and struggled during those last few days of his life.
This was a surprise to his wife, as James had always seemed such a "big picture person" who never fixated on small details.
Acting senior coroner Andrew Cox also read out a statement from James' son, Max, who recalled the trauma of his mum's screams and how on entering the chalet it was very clear his father had died during the night.
He said he was in "absolute shock and distress" at the scene, having only spoken to his father the night before using Zoom and having dinner with him shortly before that.
He told how his father had spoken with him at around 9.30pm, saying he was going to watch Game of Thrones before going to sleep, making plans to conduct another Zoom meeting in the morning.
Max explained how his father "did not have any mental health issues" before contracting what was believed to be coronavirus, but since he had begun to self-isolate "he had become increasingly unstable - he had become paranoid, anxious, reclusive and at the best of his ability, given his situation, controlling.
"We were saying that throughout the week he had become unstable and this was the first time we had ever seen him behave like this.
"Of course, we have no idea the extent of his mental degradation."
James had previously been a a commander with the Metropolitan Police as well as Chief Superintendent of Plymouth.
He had taken the decision to self isolate after returning from London with coronavirus-like symptoms in late March.
Mr Cox told the inquest James had developed a cough and night fevers.
He had decided that rather than put his wife and their two grown-up children, son Max and daughter Robyn, at risk, he would self-isolate in a holiday chalet at the end of their garden.
She said they had previously discussed this option if either of them had developed Covid-19 symptoms.
However, despite the constant Zoom meet ups, socially-distanced coffee mornings and evening meals they had together, the family began to notice a stark deterioration in James' mental health.
His wife James had previously never fixated on details but would envision things to make them happen, he "changed completely" during his isolation.
She said she was unaware of how much he was fixating on things as he was "such a happy man", noting that the couple had enjoyed a "charmed life" living in Cornwall and how James would often throw back the curtains each morning saying it was a "beautiful day" even when storm clouds crowded the sky.
She said that when they knew each other in London, where they met in 1987 at a barbecue and fell in love, they would often meet for coffee and so on each morning she would pop down to the chalet for a coffee on the decking.
However, she said he became more reluctant as the days passed and said he was feeling the cold, despite her bringing him jumpers.
She said he had begun to become paranoid about what the local community of Crackington Haven would think of him and the couple's standing in the community if one of them was seen out walking down at the nearby beach with their dog.
Maureen said it was "not like him to think like this".
The night before his death the family had held a socially distanced supper together and during it James had tried to reassure the family that his "thinking was getting clearer and he would be out tomorrow", the eighth day of his isolation.
However, on the morning of April 1 she decided that she would pop down to the chalet with coffee on the deck.
However, as she arrived she found a signed pinned to the inside of the door saying "don't come in, phone the police" and the door locked on the inside.
She said: "I knew straight away. I was screaming 'no, no, no' because I couldn't get into the chalet and the door was locked from the inside."
She raced back to the house where the family grabbed the spare key and returned to the chalet. Her son, Max, stopped her entering and walked in, finding his father on the bed.
Attempts by a neighbour's son, who was a lifeguard, to perform CPR were to no avail and paramedics who later arrived declared James deceased.
Maureen said: "I believe that Jimbo, in his right mind, would not take his own life. He had spoken so much over the years, given his experiences as a copper, about the devastation left behind when someone commits suicide. It's just unthinkable that this would be his intention - however there is no denying the fact.
"I think it was a perfect storm. The psychological effect of the Covid-19 environment - media, fear, lack of control - as he went into his self-isolation, and possibly the neurological effect of Covid-19 found in a small sample of Covid-19 deaths."
She also referenced parts of his lengthy note addressed to her which highlighted guilt he felt at relationship issues in his distant past which she had been unaware of and said would have been something she would have worked through with him if she had known.
She said these feelings he harboured over matters more than two decades ago had "grown out of control" in his mind.
She said he had written about being a "bad guy" which she considered an "absolute nonsense", highlighting his wonderfully supportive and loving nature, describing their relationship as "special from the word go".
She explained that following his official retirement from the police in 2011 the couple's lives had become even more enjoyable, with James getting involved in a host of activities and roles, from being a board member of the NHS to working with the Foreign Office around the world and even helping in setting up the gig-rowing club for Crackington Haven, which involved both of them travelling around the country with the club.
She noted his idyllic childhood, how he had been born in Noss Mayo and had three brothers, but grew up in Plymouth.
He'd joined the police at 18 with the aim of eventually going to university, but he "fell in love with being a copper", first with the Metropolitan police and then returning to Devon and Cornwall Police where he became the Head of CID at the force's Exeter's headquarters in Middlemoor, before taking on the role of Plymouth Police Commander. He left the force in 2009, heading back to the Metropolitan Police for a promotion.
He would fly from Newquay airport and remain in London for the week but return to Cornwall, a place the couple had "fallen in love with" years before.
A pathologist initially stated that the cause of death was initially inconclusive following a post mortem, noting nothing more than a mark around the neck. A toxicology report came back clear but further evidence gathered by police investigators led Mr Cox to determine that James Connelly-Webster had taken his own life following eight days of self-isolation.
Mr Cox noted police reports which had confirmed James had become "increasingly unstable and paranoid" before leaving a long and detailed letter for his wife, locking the chalet door and posting a message for her not to enter. As a result of what was found by his son Mr Cox said he would give the cause of death as asphyxiation and record a verdict of suicide.
Mr Cox thanked lead police investigator Det Con James Winkett - who attended the inquest and gave evidence to the court via a phone-line in accordance with the Chief Coroner's guidelines - and asked him to pass on his condolences to James' family.
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
