Man left sarcastic note 'thanking Universal Credit' before killing himself
A man who took his own life after running out of money for his electricity meter left a note ‘thanking’ Universal Credit.
Brian Sycamore, 62, had suffered with back pain for years and was found dead in his home after taking a overdose of his prescribed medication on September 30 2017.
Police who attended the scene saw that he had left a note on his unlocked phone which read: ‘Can you thank the people who work at the Department for Work and Pensions?’
An inquest at Derbyshire Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Sycamore’s brother Henry believed he was struggling with his benefits.
Assistant coroner Louise Pinder said: ‘Henry has said to us that he believes this was a deliberate act. ‘He had been in pain for many years. But he believes the trigger was down to problems he was having with his Universal Credit.’
PC Mark Karim, of Derbyshire police, read a note that was left on Mr Sycamore’s phone that also referred to the electricity meter running out.
The coroner and PC Karim both agreed that the ‘thanks’ in the note were intended to be sarcastic.
Mr Sycamore’s GP said he had no record of mental health problems or previous suicide attempts, and a psychiatric doctor said he had never been admitted to Kingsway Hospital.
The medication he took was all legitimately prescribed to him for his back problems.
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