Husband, 28, hanged himself after row with wife three days before IVF
Husband, 28, who had just toasted first wedding anniversary hanged himself after row with wife three days before she was due to start IVF following three miscarriages
- Jack Gilbert, 28, and his spouse of one year Gemma were due to undergo IVF
- But just three days before, they had a row and she blocked his calls and texts
- The joiner was later found dead at mother’s home in Adswood, near Stockport
Jack Gilbert, 28, married Gemma at the luxurious Tudor Hall in Greater Manchester
A newlywed husband hanged himself while trying for a baby with his wife, an inquest has heard.
Jack Gilbert, 28, and his spouse of one year Gemma were due to undergo IVF after she suffered three miscarriages.
But just three days before they were due to start the course, the couple – who had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary – had a row following which she blocked his calls and text messages.
Mr Gilbert, a joiner, was later found dead at his mother’s home in Adswood, near Stockport in Greater Manchester.
Inquiries revealed in the hours before the tragedy Mr Gilbert had gone to watch the World Cup second round match between England and Columbia.
Videos of him recorded on the night of the match show him looking ‘so happy’ and singing and cheering – but tests showed he had been taking cocaine.
An inquest in Stockport heard the Gilberts had married in July 2017 at the luxurious Tudor Hall in Hale Barns near Altrincham and soon began trying for a baby.
Mr and Mrs Gilbert, who married in 2017, had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary
Mrs Gilbert in her 20s, said in a statement: ‘We had a whirlwind romance. Jack had a little boy called Archie with his ex-girlfriend and we saw him a lot.
‘He proposed to me in Tenerife and we got married at Tudor Hall in Hale Barns. We had a few ups and downs, we were trying for a baby.
‘In February 2018 we lost a baby and Jack left home for three days and would not answer my calls or texts. On July 3, 2018 we argued again and he called me names and checked my phone.
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‘I told him he had no right. I said something like ‘go get it out your system’ and told him to come back when we were on the same wavelength.
‘I met him in the pub though and he seemed happy to see me. He seemed really happy at though. When we were leaving, I told him that my brother was angry about the way he had been treating me. He was really angry and just went back into the pub.
‘I spoke to him the following morning and we argued. I spent the day with a friend and wanted to clear my head for a bit. I didn’t find out that he died until I turned my phone on at about 11pm.
Just three days before the couple were due to start a course of IVF, they had an argument
‘He never gave any indication that he would harm himself. We had only just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and were hoping to start our own family.’
Mr Gilbert’s mother Michelle Mulvihill told the hearing: ‘Jack was a lovely person. He was very popular and kind-hearted. He worked hard and had many friends.
‘He was a massive part of our family. We were always together, all of us. He was a great dad. I did not think he had any problems with his mental health whatsoever. There were signs of depression, he was a smiley, happy person.
‘He got married to Gemma about a year before he died. They had been arguing, they due to start IVF on the Saturday. Gemma had three miscarriages so there was quite a lot of stress.
‘But the arguments were nothing more than you would expect. He had just won a massive contract at work. Everything was going great. He only drank alcohol socially at weekends like any other 28-year-old.’
Recalling the days leading up to the tragedy, she added: ‘On July 3 I came home from work and my eldest daughter asked if she could take me out for tea. Jack rang me and asked if I could come pick him up. I would never say no to him, that night I told him I was out for tea.
The newlywed husband hanged himself in July 2018 while trying for a baby with his wife
‘He said he was already at the pub with some friends watching the England match but said that his suitcase was at my house for good. I was about 8 o’clock when I told him to make his own way home.
‘I rang after the game to see if he wanted picking him but he didn’t pick up. There are videos of him that evening when they had won and was singing and cheering, he looks so happy.
‘When I got up for work the next morning I looked in the bedroom and he was not there. I had been calling him all morning and got through to him in the afternoon, he just said he had stayed at a friends house.
‘He sounded tired but nothing that I would not expect. He spoke to his sister on the phone as well, I just told him to get some rest.
‘I got home from work at about 6pm. I went into the bedroom and the bed looked like it was quite messed up as though someone had been on it but he was not there. Then I found him in the bathroom.’
The hearing was told Mr Gilbert’s GP records show that he never reported to having any symptoms of depression or anxiety and was never prescribed any medication for his mental health.
In the hours before the tragedy Mr Gilbert had gone to watch a World Cup match at a pub
Toxicologist Julie Evans said: ‘We found evidence of alcohol but he was not heavily intoxicated at the time of his death. But we also found evidence of cocaine – the sort of level you would see in recreational use. It’s most likely that I was used in the last 12 hours.
‘As the stimulant effects wear off, it can then lead to depression and low mood. We see cocaine quite regularly in suspected self-harming.’
A coroner said it was a ‘tragic case involving the sudden death of a man who was a much-loved husband, son and father’
Rita Wilkinson, a senior police officer at Greater Manchester Police, told the hearing: ‘Jack had been found hanging in the bathroom at his mother’s address. There was no indication of any drugs on him or in the bedroom. There was no note found and no indication.
‘We could not get into his phone but no one has come forward to say that he has sent any messages that are alarming or distressing. We do know that his wife had blocked his calls and messages on that day.’
Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Chris Morris said: ‘This is a tragic case involving the sudden death of a man who was a much-loved husband, son and father. He and his wife of one year had been trying to start their own family and his life was obviously subject to some ups and downs.
‘Nobody had any concerns that he was especially low in mood or that he would harm himself. I accept the evidence that he had been taking cocaine in the 12 hours leading up to his death and have heard evidence that cocaine can be associated with depressive episodes and self-harm.
‘There was no evidence found to suggest that Mr Gilbert had planned to take his own life. There was no evidence of any previous incident or ongoing mental health problems.
‘Cocaine can also affect the ability to form intent. He is likely to have taken cocaine in the hours prior to his death but there was no evidence of any sustained intention to cause his own death.’
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org for details.
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