A “talented” vet killed himself with a drug used to euthanise pets after becoming increasingly distressed at wealthy customers unnecessarily asking him to put down their animals, an inquest heard.
Dr John Ellis was upset that people with “brand new” cars parked outside his surgery wouldn’t pay to help their animals, a coroner was told.
In contrast, the 35-year-old told his mother that clients who couldn’t afford to pay for treatment often brought their pets in too late for anything to be done.
Tina Ellis, a Conservative councillor in Fareham, Hants, told an inquest into her son’s death that he found this “destroying”.
Dr Ellis – who the hearing was told was also leading a “double life” as he had been secretly cheating on his long term partner – tricked a veterinary nurse into giving him the deadly medication by falsely claiming he needed it to put down a friend’s “large dog”.
Instead, he used the drug to take his own life.
Winchester Coroner’s Court, in Hampshire, was told that Dr Ellis, who was working at a practice near the city, was experiencing considerable stress in both his professional and private life at the time of his death in November 2022.
Mrs Ellis told the hearing that her son told her: “Owners are leaving it too late to come in, they weren’t seeking help early enough for things that could have been quite simple.”
He had said: “When I’ve got somebody saying they won’t pay to help their animal and they’re sitting there with a brand new car outside, and other people who were really struggling [financially] would do anything to save their animals, but there was nothing they could do because it was already too late.“
He was finding that destroying,” she added. Dr Ellis was a resident at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists at the time of his death, and told his mother he had been having sleeping troubles.
He would sleep in his car sometimes when he was on call, rather than go home and have to drive to the vet’s in an emergency and was under financial pressure as well, she said.
“All of those things completely built up and he was finding it difficult,” she said. The inquest also heard that for the previous two years Dr Ellis had been secretly cheating on his partner of 12 years, Ashley James, with another man, Ryan Hunt.
Alex MacDonald, director of Animed – the practice where the vet had acquired the drugs he used to end his life – told the inquest that Dr Ellis was “almost living a double life”.
Mr James, a radiographer, told the hearing that he did not know that Dr Ellis had been cheating on him until after his death.
On the evening of 6 November 2022, the vet – who the inquest heard had informed his mother and a friend of his intention to break up with Mr James – told him that he was going to get some food and pick up a package from Animed.
Once there, he told a nurse that he had been given permission to pick up some medication to put down a friend’s dog at home. The inquest heard the dose was sufficient to euthanise a large dog.
Dr Ellis then went to the house of a friend who was on holiday in Tenerife at the time. He called Mr James, who told the inquest that Dr Ellis said “he had done something stupid – he told me he loved me.”
He also called Mr Hunt, who told the inquest: “He said he wasn’t going to hurt me anymore, and hung up the phone.”
After police were called, Dr Ellis was found in the back bathroom of the house having administered the drugs to himself.
He was taken to the Royal Hampshire County hospital in Winchester but was pronounced dead in the early hours of 7 November.
Dr Ellis’s father Robert told the inquest that the ease of access to the medication which killed his son made him feel as if his son had access to a “loaded gun”.
Recording a verdict of suicide Simon Burge, assistant coroner for Hampshire, said Dr Ellis’s death was “a huge waste of a talented life”.
“It’s a matter of great regret to the family and all his friends that he should have rashly, unnecessarily made the decision that he did.
“He did it in the context of relationship issues in more than one relationship,” he said. “He was confused by his long term love and perhaps an infatuation for this younger man Ryan, coupled with the considerable stress involved at the residency, from the financial pressures that caused.”
In a Prevention of Future Deaths report addressed to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Mr Burge warned about how Dr Ellis had been able to get hold of the drugs, saying he had procured them “by falsely representing to his former employers that he needed it in order to euthanise a large dog. He was able to access the drug, which he knew to be dangerous, without being challenged as to its purpose.
“Veterinary surgeons, such as the deceased, are able to easily access potentially lethal drugs ... without any adequate controls being put in place to prevent their misuse.”
In a statement shared by suicide charity Amparo, the family said: “Those who knew John will remember him not only for his professional expertise but also for his warmth, generosity, and genuine love for animals.
“He poured his heart into his work, and his absence leaves a deep void in the lives of all who had the privilege of working with him and knowing him personally.
“As a family, we are devastated by the loss of John, and we continue to grapple with the heartbreak and shock that come with the death of someone so young and full of potential.
“We want to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who may be struggling with mental health challenges to seek support and not suffer in silence. No one should feel that they are alone, and we urge everyone to reach out for help if they are in need.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
