Loss of wife led to suicide: inquest

IT is thought a former Bexhill teacher may have died almost a fortnight before his body was discovered by his son, who had become increasingly concerned after not hearing from his father for some time.

Widower Stanley Gordon Wentworth, aged 88, of Cooden Drive, but originally from London, was found dead in an upstairs room at his chalet-style, two-storey home on Monday, May 2.

An inquest in Hastings on Wednesday, July 13, heard that he had carefully set out personal papers and left notes for his family, saying he could no longer cope following the death of his wife, Enid, who had also been a teacher. He then hanged himself from the access hatch to the loft.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With this evidence, and a post mortem examination by pathologist Ian Horley confirming death by hanging, East Sussex coroner Alan Craze recorded a verdict that Mr Wentworth took his own life.

In a written statement read by the coroner, Mr Wentworth’s son, Richard, described how he had become worried because he had not heard from his father and so drove to his house in Bexhill on the early May Bank Holiday to find out what was wrong.

He used a spare key to get in, and on finding the ground floor rooms deserted, went upstairs to make the grim discovery that his father had hanged himself. A calendar block in the house had last had the date changed to show Thursday, April 21, almost a fortnight previously.

PC Kevin Tyler attended with paramedics, who confirmed death. It was also noted that Mr Wentworth’s body was decomposing, suggesting he had been dead for some time .

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The officer found two notes in the dining-room - one typed, one hand-written - which the coroner said left no doubt Mr Wentworth had wanted to die.

The coroner added: “These things are sometimes done impulsively. I don’t think this was impulsive at all.”

Related topics: