Wife home to tragedy (From Gazette Series)

Wife home to tragedy

A WOMAN told a Gloucester inquest last week of her horror at finding her husband hanging from an ornamental arch in their garden in Berkeley.

Jerome Darren Long, 38, died at his home in The Leaze, on June 6.

Adrian Long, said his son had left school in Dursley at 16 and had worked first on the production line at Lister before becoming a maintenance worker on the Severn Bridge.

"He called me at 10.50pm on the Saturday night and said 'See you soon'. At 2pm I had a call from the police," said Mr Long.

Lorraine Long said her husband had been in good heath until a month before when he developed a back problem from work and was signed off.

On Saturday, June 5 she went out for the day with two friends, leaving her husband at home with the children.

She said: "Everything appeared normal. He was on the phone to his brother. They were talking about going night-fishing.

"I came back in through the front door and could see that the TV was on but I couldn't find him. I saw the back door was slightly ajar and I could see an image of Jerome under the arch.

"My first impression was that he was having a cigarette but then I saw a rope.

"Nothing in his behaviour suggested he wanted to kill himself. He didn't like being off work but it was not that he was depressed."

Mrs Long called James Virgo, a neighbour and a friend of nearly ten years who worked with Mr Long, about 1am. He found a note and tablets in the kitchen.

"I wondered if he had taken them before hanging himself. I knew that he had in the past suffered from depression.

"Ten months ago Lorraine's mother died. I believe this may have upset him - she suffered depression too and they had a strong bond," said Mr Virgo.

Pathologist Dr Jill Farmer told the inquest Mr Long's blood alcohol level was two and a half times over the legal driving limit. A toxicology report also found a quanitity of morphine in the body.

Mrs Long assured coroner Alan Crickmore she knew nothing about her husband taking heroin or morphine in the past.

Mr Crickmore said: "Mrs Long has said that there was nothing unusual in her husband's behaviour leading up to his death.

"But it is a fact that he suffered depression and anxiety for a period of time and was taking medication up to the time of his death.

"There may have been aspects of Mr Long's life that were hidden from Mrs Long and even from his friends at work.

"I am satisfied that the immediate cause of death was hanging and that he took his own life."