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| Coroner raises concern over lack of help for sacked minister Carl Sargeant | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A coroner has concluded that no official support was put in place for a prominent Welsh politician who took his own life four days after being sacked amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards women. | |
| John Gittins, the senior coroner for north Wales , said he would write to the Welsh government expressing his concern that there could be future deaths unless action was taken. | |
| Carl Sargeant, 49, was found hanged at his home in north Wales on 7 November 2017, four days after he was sacked from his job as cabinet secretary for communities and children. The inquest was told that he had suffered from mental health problems and was vulnerable. | |
| At the end of his inquest, Gittins said: “No official arrangements were put into place by way of seeking to provide support to Carl Sargeant following the reshuffle despite the probability that the first minister knew of Mr Sargeant’s vulnerability in relation to his mental health, and that it is likely that the removal and particularly the reason for the removal would generate significant media interest.” The coroner said he did not feel that Sargeant had received “pastoral” care. | |
| Gittins said the truth of the allegations against Sargeant had not formed any part of his investigation. But he said: “The absence … of those allegations at this inquest should in no way be seen as a diminution of the seriousness of these matters.” | |
| Sargeant’s widow, Bernie Sargeant, told the inquest in Ruthin, Wales, that her husband felt shellshocked and destroyed after his sacking. She claims there was no support for him and he was left in limbo, not able to defend himself because he did not have details of the claims against him pending a full investigation. She has said he insisted he was innocent and she believed him. | |
| She told the inquest that on the weekend after he was dismissed he stayed in bed, hiding beneath the covers. On the day before his death, he was shocked to be doorstepped by a reporter at the family home in Connah’s Quay, north Wales. | |
| Sargeant’s family and friends are furious at the how Carwyn Jones, then the first minister, handled the sacking, and say they believe he has shown little contrition over it. They believe Jones fuelled Sargeant’s despair on the day before he died by giving a television interview in which he referred to the claims as “incidents” rather than “allegations”. | |
| Calling for changes to be made to the way prominent politicians are supported after being sacked, Bernie Sargeant said during the inquest: “My children have lost their dad. Lessons have got to be learned. I believe we should have had some support. We were out of our league here.” | Calling for changes to be made to the way prominent politicians are supported after being sacked, Bernie Sargeant said during the inquest: “My children have lost their dad. Lessons have got to be learned. I believe we should have had some support. We were out of our league here.” |
| In court Jones, who stepped down as first minister and Labour leader last year, was accused of lying under oath during the inquest over the support given to Sargeant after his sacking. Jones insisted he had not lied but had mistakenly given misleading evidence. The coroner criticised Jones’s legal team for trying to introduce evidence about allegations against Sargeant at the inquest. | In court Jones, who stepped down as first minister and Labour leader last year, was accused of lying under oath during the inquest over the support given to Sargeant after his sacking. Jones insisted he had not lied but had mistakenly given misleading evidence. The coroner criticised Jones’s legal team for trying to introduce evidence about allegations against Sargeant at the inquest. |
| Jones was first minister between 2009 and 2018 and spent more than 18 years in all in government, becoming one of the most important figures in Welsh politics since devolution. When he announced his decision to step down he insisted he had planned his exit before Sargeant’s death. | |
| The Labour-led Welsh government and the Labour party said they had made changes on how sackings are handled since Sargeant’s death. | The Labour-led Welsh government and the Labour party said they had made changes on how sackings are handled since Sargeant’s death. |
| • In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found atwww.befrienders.org. | • In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found atwww.befrienders.org. |
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