Inquest of a UK suicide: 'They lived together, died together and at their request were buried together' 

He had shown signs of psychosis and experienced voices telling him to kill himself.
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

He was a talented musician who sang and played guitars in a metal band called Desert Smoker. She was a talented artist who dreamt of being a tattoo artist.

The 19-year-old Charlie Eccleston and 20-year-old Zaiga Gravenieks were found hanged on the same tree branch. Charlie’s mother Jo told an inquest: “They lived together, died together and at their request were buried together," according to the Daily Mirror.

The young couple were found by a police dog in a secluded part of a wood at Shenley in Hertfordshire on the morning of November 5, 2017, with a message spray painted on a tree, the report said.

In a statement read to the senior Hertfordshire coroner Geoffrey Sullivan, Jo said Charlie, from Borehamwood, had struggled with his mental health from the age of 12. He had shown signs of psychosis and experienced voices telling him to kill himself, according to the report.

“Although he had no love for himself he adored Zaige," she added.

Zaiga, from Harpenden, had been diagnosed with anorexia and Asperger’s, her mother Ausma said in a statement. She had been studying music at Bedford college but became too unwell to continue.

She said: “She and Charlie were deeply in love.”

Evidence from Professor Hilary McCallion, who examined the way the couple were treated by mental health professionals, is due to be heard tomorrow, the Daily Mirror report said.

The inquest continues and is expected to last three days.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7).
 

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