A teenager killed himself after receiving a £600 rail fine, fearing he would be sent to prison, an inquest has heard.
Jamie Coulthard had been worrying about the fine after court letters were sent to the wrong address, causing the debt to escalate. He was also struggling to find a fulfilling job, his family said.
The 19-year-old was found at his home in Chorley, Lancashire, by his mother when she came home from work on 2 March this year.
An inquest at Preston coroner’s court heard that Coulthard had gone to court to face a charge of fare-dodging but that the initial hearing was adjourned. He missed the next court date and was handed the largest fine in his absence, but the papers were sent to an old address.
Tracy Woodcock, Coulthard’s mother, told the inquest: “He was funny and outgoing and I had a good relationship with him.
“I think he was very frustrated that he was unable to find a job that he wanted to do. He was also quite upset about the fine that he had. The letters had gone to a different address and by the time we realised it had built up to £600.
“He really thought that he was going to have to go to prison and he was upset by it. We did go to Preston once but they weren’t very helpful and it got adjourned because the prosecution didn’t turn up. All the time it was playing on his mind. I told him if it came to it that I would pay it for him and it was fine.
“He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was five and he continued taking medication for it for 10 years. He would still have some trouble concentrating after that but he seemed to get a lot better.
“I think maybe he thought that it had something to do with him not being able to find work. He never said anything to me about suicide or self-harm. I don’t understand why he did it. It was totally unexpected.”
Coulthard’s girlfriend of four years, Sarah Gibson, said he had seemed his normal happy self the night before his death but was worried about the court debt.
She told the inquest: “We were a mutual support to each other. He was extremely worried about the rail fine and he didn’t know what to do about it. When he went to court and was then sent away he didn’t understand why he was being sent away and he was upset about it.
“It was something he talked about a lot. The last time I saw him he seemed his usual happy and outgoing self.”
But she said he had previously self-harmed with a penknife. “He had spoken to me about self-harming. He used to self-harm a lot, with teachers at school telling him that he wouldn’t amount to anything because of his ADHD.
“He didn’t do it enough for everyone around him to notice, but he did cut his arms and hands. When we first met he gave me his penknife so he wouldn’t do it again and he hasn’t done it since.”
The medical cause of death was given as hanging. No drugs or alcohol were found in Coulthard’s system.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, the area coroner Richard Taylor said: “I have heard of a bright, amusing and thoughtful young man who was upset that he was unable to find work, and upset about his outstanding fine.
“He clearly dwelled on the fine and mentioned it on many occasions and thought that he was going to be sent to prison despite reassurances.”
• Footnote added 10 August 2017: After publication of this article Tracy Woodcock, Jamie Coulthard’s mother, informed the Guardian that her son had not been trying to evade a fare. He had bought a ticket, lost it, offered to buy another and willingly provided his details, unaware that he would be fined.
In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.
