A dad-of-four took his own life at his furniture store after business troubles and relationship woes left him feeling like a 'failure', an inquest heard. Ley Garforth was found dead by police at his furniture store unit in Oldham on June 7 this year.
An inquest into Ley's death at Rochdale Coroners Court heard how the businessman had a history of mental health issues.
He had a break down 12 years ago where he tried to take his own life due to a faltering relationship with his then partner and the failure of a business he had with his twin brother.
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The court heard how Ley felt as though ‘history was repeating’ itself this year, when the pandemic saw his furniture business losing money. His mental health had started deteriorating in the months leading up to his death as his relationship with his partner began to break down. He was left feeling like a ‘failure’, the court was told by his daughter, Jennielee Taft.
Ley had been arrested a couple of days before he tragically passed away, the inquest heard. On June 2, he was taken into custody after police were called to the home he shared with his partner.
Police say Ley had smashed a dining room table in the home, and he was found screaming at the premises where he was arrested. Ley was released with no charges as the furniture belonged to him, the court heard. He moved in with his mother.
The court heard how on June 6, the day before his death, Ley had travelled to a bridge overlooking the motorway in Oldham with intentions of taking his life. However, some passers-by intervened and Ley realised that he ‘didn’t want to kill himself’ but he wanted to ‘seek help’ instead.
That night, Ley called his family members to make them aware of his whereabouts. He was taken to his sister Penny Garforth’s house where a mental health nurse tried to give him an assessment.
The court heard how the mental health nurse decided that a more thorough assessment could be done at the Royal Oldham Hospital as Penny’s home was too ‘distracting’, according to Cheryl Henry, head of quality at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.
After being taken into A+E, the court heard how an ‘exhausted and agitated’ Ley, who had not slept for 'six days', had a long wait to be seen by the mental health department. During this time, family and police officers watched over him at the busy hospital. Following his assessment, Ley was deemed well enough to go home with his family by the senior practitioner. He was referred to the home treatment team.
During the inquest the family questioned the decision to send Ley home from A+E. His sister Penny said they believe that had he been sectioned at the hospital, he ‘would still be alive today’. The nurse who assessed Ley was senior mental health practitioner, Andrew Walker, who gave evidence during the inquest.
Mr Walker told the court that during the assessment Ley had ‘recognised why people were worried'. He told the court that Ley was trying to ‘seek help’ and was talking about plans for the future. He explained how he thought it best practice to refer Ley to the home treatment team who were to contact him the following day.
But instead, the next day Ley made his way to his furniture business in Emerald House on Daniel Street and ended his life.
The court heard how Ley was found by police who had to force their way in after he had created a device to ‘jam’ the entrance from the inside.
Coroner Michael Salt concluded that Ley's actions to jam the entrance to his unit and create a mechanism to end his own life showed 'intention'. The cause of death was recorded as suicide.
Speaking outside the coroners court, Ley’s sister, Penny Garforth, paid tribute to Ley and called for ‘lessons to be learned’ in the way mental health patients are assessed and discharged from hospital. Speaking to the M.E.N, she said “He was a lovable man, hard-working, dedicated to his grandchildren.
“As a family we wanted lessons to be learned, I believe that he’d still be alive today if he was admitted into the hospital.”
The family are raising funds for a headstone in Ley's memory. You can donate here.
Clare Parker, executive director of quality, nursing and healthcare professionals at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We want to offer our sincere condolences to Ley’s family. We completed a thorough investigation at the time which involved and has been shared with Ley’s family.
"Our investigation supports the clinical decisions that were made at the time and the care and treatment put in place was relevant and appropriate.”
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