A grieving wife has spoken of her heartbreak after her husband took his life in the same park he proposed.
Craig Murray, who had a long history of mental illness, was found hanged at Etherow Country Park in Stockport. He had asked his wife Jade to marry him at the beauty spot just 18 months prior.
The 41-year-old, from Stockport, had been working as a car salesman at a local car dealership when he was tragically found dead on May 23, 2020.
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Speaking of the imaginable loss after Craig's death, Jade, now 39, said: "It’s more than two years since I lost Craig and it’s still incredibly difficult to come to terms with the fact he’s no longer here. .
"We had only been married 18 months when he died. Craig’s mental illness was putting a strain on our relationship, but I believe that with the correct treatment Craig would have recovered and we would have spent the rest of our lives together. It devastates me that this won’t happen."
Craig had suffered from mental illness since 2013 and in 2019 his health deteriorated again and he developed psychosis and paranoia, as well as delusions and low mood.
He was placed under the care of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust's Access Team and Community Health Team (CMHT), before being referred to the Home Treatment Team in January 202. He remained under the care of the CMHT and HMT until his death four months later. During this time, he took a number of overdoses.
Jade, a bank business manager, said: "When his mental health began to deteriorate, he began thinking he was in danger and that people were following him. He moved in with his mum just before lockdown as he kept saying he thought I was also in danger and that our home security was being hacked. It was awful and I kept pleading with him not to do anything stupid.
"When he was found in the park, my emotions were all over the place. It was such a special location for us as that’s where we got engaged. To this day, I still have so many questions over Craig’s death and whether more could have been done to help him.
"While nothing will bring him back to me, I hope that by sharing my story it will highlight the devastating effects that the lack of appropriate support for loved ones with mental health problems can have. I hope it will encourage people to seek the treatment and support they need before it’s too late."
After an inquest in December 2020 highlighted "issues" in the care provided to Craig, his widow instructed medical negligence experts at Irwin Mitchell to investigate her husband’s care under the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.
She is joining with her legal team marked World Suicide Prevention Day this month by speaking out on her loss and to help raise awareness around mental illness.
Margaret Ryan, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Jade, said: "Craig’s family remain devastated by what’s happened and his son who was 15 years old at the time is now without a father.
"Anyone can be affected by mental health and it’s vital that people receive the care and support they need. World Suicide Prevention Day is an important reminder that those affected need not suffer alone and that it is vital that those effected by mental illness receive the support and treatment that they need.
"Sadly, the inquest into Craig’s death highlighted issues in the care provided to him in the lead up to his death. We’re now investigating this and will continue to support Jade however we can."
Clare Parker, director of nursing, healthcare professionals and quality governance at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our deepest sympathies are with Craig Murray’s family.
"Our own investigation supported the findings of the coroner. The Covid pandemic meant that we had to rapidly change the way our teams worked and we accepted that a lack of face-to-face contact was a missed opportunity to reassess Mr Murray. We are very sorry this did not happen."
World Suicide Prevention Day was on 10 September. For more information visit www.who.int/campaigns/world-suicide-prevention-day/2022.
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