Chris Blagbrough Driven to Suicide by The Mental Health System in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England

As seen on this memorial site dedicated to the memory of Chris Blagbrough There is much much more information on the website

Christopher Blagbrough committed suicide by hanging. He was only 22 years old. Of course it should never have happened; but it was not just another tragic loss to add to the already terrible statistical record of the Calderdale and Huddersfield region of Yorkshire, as one of the highest area in the country for male suicides.

Firstly because it should never have been even remotely possible for him to have had the opportunity to take his own life in the way he did, but also because he was literally driven to it by the actions of a number of mental health professionals within the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS, and left totally unprotected by the Trust management and mental health system, in spite of the Herculean efforts of his parents Peter and Jeanette Blagbrough over a period of 2 and a half years.

Chris was found dead at 6.00am but his parents were not informed until about 5 hours later. Why such a delay? according to the Coroner he was reported to have been on Level 3 Observations, i.e. within visual sight at all times plus 5 minute checks. Staff claim he was checked a 5.55am and was sleeping, but at 6.00am was not only hanging, but was said to be "limp and cold" (in a central heated building?).

A fellow patient claims he heard a member of staff shout "My God,- he's icy cold." He also claims that he himself was also on an observation level that night, had been unable to sleep, and has never been checked. Another patient claims night time observations are often not done. Patients are now being treated by a Doctor and Ward Management not to speak to either Chris's parents or the parents of another patient. Why?

Perhaps the Inquest will answer some of these questions - but will it also tell his parents why their son was held for almost 3 tears in a secure mental hospital as a result of only a single minor incident for which he was found guilty for in a court of law, on the grounds that he knew what he was doing, and therefore was not suffering from any identifiable mental illness.

In 1999, before he went to court, Dr. Bhatercharjee (RMO) told Chris's parents he was only keeping Chris in hospital to see if a mental illness would develop. At a Mental Health Tribunal in February 2001 he agreed with the second opinion Forensic Psychiatrist that Chris was not mentally ill. So why was he in a Mental Hospital ?

Or why their own and Chris's complaints raised at every level about the way he was treated whilst in the hospital were completely ignored ? Or why he was eventually convinced he would never, ever, be able to escape from this situation, and was driven to take the only escape rout to him ?

This is Chris's Story.