Man asked for help night before taking his life, inquest hears

Assistant coroner Alexandra Pountney heard Gareth Etchells-Height had thoughts of suicide and tried to kill himself

A man with a history of attempted suicide was told to "watch TV" when he asked for help the night before he took his own life, an inquest has heard.

Gareth Etchells-Height, who was 42 and had Asperger's, was found dead at a mental health unit on 24 April 2022.

Sheffield Medico-Legal Centre heard he had a history of mental health problems and had contact with services for most of his adult life.

His family told the court they felt his death could have been prevented.

Assistant coroner Alexandra Pountney heard that in the months before he died, Mr Etchells-Height had expressed thoughts of suicide and attempted to end his life on multiple occasions.

He was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act and admitted to Maple Ward, an acute mental health inpatient ward in Sheffield, on 19 February.

He was diagnosed with non-organic psychotic disorder which included symptoms such as paranoid delusions and auditory hallucinations.

The court heard his use of cannabis might have aggravated his psychosis.

To manage his condition and to improve his sleep, doctors prescribed antipsychotic medication olanzapine.

Consultant psychiatrist at Maple Ward, Dr Anil Puranik, said Mr Etchells-Height's presentation had fluctuated, which he described as "normal", but said it had improved overall.

Wainwright Crescent relocated and was renamed Beech in July 2022

A few weeks later, he was discharged into the care of Wainwright Crescent in Sheffield.

Now called Beech, it provides a "step-down" support for those discharged from Sheffield Health and Social Care inpatient wards.

The court was told Mr Etchells-Height's family felt he had been discharged too early and "should have been a detained patient in hospital".

They said his neurodiversity had not been fully taken into consideration.

Staff at Wainwright Crescent noted Mr Etchells-Height started to deteriorate and was presenting as "down and unmotivated".

He had also requested staff to prompt him to get up in the morning.

A family statement said Mr Etchells-Height had been seeking assistance and help the night before his death but staff reportedly told him to "watch TV and engage with other residents".

He was found unresponsive at 05:00 BST and pronounced dead just over an hour later.

The inquest continues.

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