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Blinded police officer David Rathband killed himself, coroner rules Blinded police officer David Rathband killed himself, coroner rules
(about 5 hours later)
Being shot and blinded by gunman Raoul Moat was the first step in the series of events that led to PC David Rathband killing himself, a coroner ruled on Wednesday. A police officer who hanged himself after being blinded by gunman Raoul Moat killed himself because he couldn't cope with his new disability and a breakdown in his marriage, a coroner has ruled .
The traffic officer who became a national hero grew desperate after the collapse of his marriage and struggled to cope with his sudden and irreversible disability. The coroner, Eric Armstrong, said little could have been done to prevent PC David Rathband's death. "Many people may look back, police officers and others, and with the benefit of hindsight, form the view that they wish they could have done something else," he said. "Could I implore them not to carry that out? Decisions were taken which at the time seemed appropriate and were justified at the time."
He was found hanging at his home 20 months after he was shot while on duty. Some family members had hoped the coroner would find his death was preventable. Rathband's twin brother has blamed Rathband's estranged wife and Northumberland police for not supporting the officer after he was shot by Moat while he was on the run in the summer of 2010.
Some friends and members of his family believed Northumbria police could have done more to support him. Traffic officer Rathband was found hanging at his home in Blyth, Northumberland, in February 2012, 20 months after he was injured while on duty. He had moved out of the marital home the previous August after his wife found out he was having an affair with 7/7 London bombing survivor Lisa French, which began on Twitter.
The coroner, Eric Armstrong, said none of those involved in the hearing should blame themselves. After concluding that Rathband had taken his own life, he said: "The circumstances of his injuries [inflicted by Moat] are well known. Concluding that Rathband took his own life, Armstrong said: "The circumstances of his injuries [inflicted by Moat] are well known. It is difficult, if not impossible, not to view the infliction of those injuries as the first step in a series which culminated in his death."
"It is difficult, if not impossible, not to view the infliction of those injuries as the first step in a series which culminated in his death." The inquest heard Rathband, 44, had made threats to kill himself and told French he had attempted to hang himself but could not go through with it.
The inquest heard that Rathband, 44, had made threats to kill himself and had told his lover he had attempted to hang himself but could not go through with it. The three-day inquest, at Newcastle's Moot Hall, heard that his wife put up with previous affairs, but his last – with French – in effect ended the marriage.
But his widow, Kath, and police colleagues she alerted, while concerned for his wellbeing, did not consider him to be at immediate risk of suicide. After Kath left him, Rathband made desperate attempts to contact her, ringing her up to 50 times on some days and leaving threatening and abusive messages. In one he pretended to be a police officer ringing to say her husband was dead. On another occasion he threatened to video-call his wife and kill himself as she watched.
Rathband was found hanging at his home in Blyth, Northumberland, on 29 February 2012. On the night Rathband took his own life, Kath visited him for the last time. She said she thought he looked "awful" and decided he needed support. But she felt she was not the right person to be with him and contacted his sister Debbie Essery in Staffordshire and his welfare officer.
He lived there alone, having left the family home following a domestic dispute the previous August. That evening, officers broke into his home and found him hanging in the darkness, with music playing from his phone.
The three-day inquest, at Newcastle's Moot Hall, heard that his wife had put up with previous affairs, but his last – with the 7/7 London bombing survivor Lisa French – had in effect ended the marriage. The coroner said: "Sadly I have to say I am drawn inescapably to the conclusion that David intended to take his own life." It was not a "cry for help", said Armstrong, partly because Rathband locked the doors, leaving the key in the lock.
Mrs Rathband broke the news to her husband before he flew out for a holiday in Australia with his identical twin, Darren. In a statement read after the hearing by lawyer Philip Davison, Kath Rathband thanked family and friends for their "unwavering" support. She said: "David fought so hard to come to terms with the devastating injuries that resulted from the shooting and the effect it had on us all as a family.
While on holiday, Rathband made desperate attempts to contact his wife, ringing her up to 50 times on some days. The messages were unpleasant, abusive and threatening, she told the hearing. In one he pretended to be a police officer ringing to say her husband was dead. "Whilst I have lost David, he has left me with two amazing children and he would be immensely proud of them and what they have achieved, as I am."
But he would be rational and pleasant if she spoke to him directly, she told the hearing. Rathband was shot and blinded by Moat in Newcastle in July 2010 after the gunman declared war on police while on the run for murder and attempted murder. He became a national hero and used his profile to set up the Blue Lamp Foundation to support 999 staff injured at work.
On another occasion he threatened to video-call his wife and kill himself while she watched. Outside the hearing, Essery said the family would continue legal action against Northumbria Police to win compensation for his children. Northumbria Police chief constable Sue Sim denied the force failed to adequately support Rathband. She said: "We provided the highest level of financial, welfare and rehabilitation support to David, far in excess of any legal duty."
The family liaison officer Detective Constable Alison Brown, who became a friend of the Rathbands, told the hearing: "For someone to say that, I just thought it was an awful thing to say. She said the force organised an assessment and treatment from a clinical psychologist, a specialist trained trauma counsellor and offered to pay for private treatment from a consultant pain specialist. He didn't always accept help, she said, adding: "David was a valued and skilled officer. We all repeat our deep sadness at his death."
"I was concerned for his wellbeing and his mental state but I did not think he would kill himself."
Mrs Rathband visited him for the last time on the night he died. She said she thought he looked awful and decided he needed support.
But she felt she was not the right person to be with him and contacted his sister, Debbie Essery, in Staffordshire and his welfare officer, Inspector John Heckles.
Essery contacted Brown with a Facebook message to pass on her concerns.
That evening, officers including Heckles eventually broke into his home and found him hanging in the darkness, with music playing from his phone.
French had also seen him earlier that day, and she told the inquest he had said he had experienced suicidal thoughts, but had not been able to kill himself.
The police were also questioned about whether their response on the night that Rathband died had been appropriate.
Superintendent Jim Napier, of Northumbria police, said that after receiving concerns about Rathband's welfare he decided an officer should go to his home and check on him.
But because Rathband had made threats to kill himself before, and the family had raised their concerns only through Facebook, he did not regard it as an immediate threat to life.
"It's my experience that people who intend to take their own lives will do so. Those who make threats to take it over a period of time need help," he said.
Rathband was shot and blinded by Moat in Newcastle in July 2010 after the gunman declared war on police while on the run for murder and attempted murder.
Rathband became a national hero and used his profile to set up the Blue Lamp Foundation to support 999 staff injured at work.
But after attending the trial of Moat's two accomplices in spring 2011, he lost focus and grew despairing.
His widow said he had not had time to adjust to life without sight.
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