The family of an 'exceptionally talented’ footballer and teacher begged him not to take his own life, an inquest has heard.
Sam Jones, 28, from Denton, Tameside, was rushed to hospital on the evening of July 23 last year after being found by his family in a cemetery.
He died three days later - with his family following his own wishes to save the lives of others.
An inquest into Sam’s death, held at South Manchester Coroner’s Court in Stockport, a coroner heard how he had contacted his mother at around 9pm to say he was planning on taking his own life. While he refused to say where he was, his family said they 'knew right away' that he would be at the nearby cemetery where his grandmother was buried.
When Sam's dad, Chris Jones, arrived at the cemetery, he found his son contemplating taking his life.
“I begged him not to do it,” his heartbroken dad told the coroner.
Emergency services were called, while Sam’s dad and brother tried to help him.
Sam was initially taken to Tameside Hospital, and later referred to the critical care unit at Manchester Royal Infirmary. On July 25, Sam’s condition continued to deteriorate further and he was sadly pronounced dead on July 26.
Senior coroner Alison Mutch, told Sam’s family: “I have to say how you managed to do all of that under those circumstances says a lot about your commitment to try and do the best for him. I understand it must have been a very difficult situation for everyone.”
A number of his organs were later successfully donated to others in need, the hearing heard.
“It was one of Sam’s wishes so that’s what we chose to do,” Mr Jones told the court.
The coroner added: “It’s a tribute to your brevity as a family that even in his darkest hours, you were keen to follow your son’s wishes to ensure his organs were donated to give others life even if he couldn’t live. Of course, it doesn’t bring him back but I hope it served as a small comfort at a very difficult time of grief.”
The court heard how Sam joined Oasis Academy Leesbrook in Oldham in 2018 as a P.E. teacher but also regularly taught science and maths. The school described him as an ‘exceptional and gifted teacher’ who was ‘valued and respected’ by staff, students and their parents.
Sam later became an assistant deputy at the academy and had been ‘instrumental’ in developing the school’s culture.
Describing his son as a keen footballer, Mr Jones said his family were ‘incredibly proud’ of him.
“He had a great love for sport,” he told the court. “He was so competitive - being second was not something he would ever accept. He played semi-pro football and played for a number of local teams including Wythenshawe Town FC.
“Up to 14, he was an excellent goalkeeper. Two or three professional clubs even wanted to sign him as a goalkeeper but unfortunately he had lost a love for it. He wanted glory, he wanted to be scoring goals.
“He was the first one in the family to ever go to university. It cost mum and dad a lot of money and he went twice. We were very proud of him.”
The inquest heard how there had been nothing in Sam’s medical records to indicate he had expressed any concerns with his mental health or had similar thoughts in the past.
“Before this, there had been no inkling that this was going to happen to your son and was completely out of character,” Ms Mutch said.
It was out of the blue for someone with such a promising career, Ms Mutch said. No notes were found and nothing suspicious was noted in a toxicology report or police investigation.
The coroner said she was unable to rule Sam’s death as suicide as there was no clear evidence to suggest he had fully understood the severity of his actions. His death was therefore ruled as the consequence of self-asphyxiation.
Addressing Sam’s family upon making the conclusion, Ms Mutch said: “You obviously loved him very much and wanted to support him as much as possible. You were very close to him and wanted to make sure he had the best and most supportive environment.
“That level of support is shown on the day when Sam was found. As a mother, I’m sure that is a conversation that will be impossible to forget.
“You absolutely did the right thing straight away and I think it shows just how well you knew your son that you knew he would be at the cemetery.”
Ms Mutch added: “I can’t imagine this is something you’re ever going to be able to forget. It sounds as if you did everything you could to stop what happened, but unfortunately, notwithstanding your pleas to him, the damage had already been done.
“Those must have been very dark and difficult days for you all.”
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