Tragic death of Wigan dad with 'heart of gold' who doted on his young daughter

Bolton Coroner’s Court heard Kieron Sharpe was devoted to his young daughter, enjoyed football and darts, and had a “heart of gold”.

His loved ones were devastated when he died on Sunday, July 14, after being found unresponsive by Emily Latham, his partner of five years, at their home on Westminster Street, Newtown.

The inquest heard 34-year-old Kieron had struggled with his mental health since childhood and despite being prescribed anti-depressants by his GP in 2016, he did not believe they would work for him.

He had previously taken an overdose and Ms Latham said there were several times when he threatened to end his life, but did not take action to do so.

She told the court of two occasions when he did – one when he started taking tablets and another when he got a knife – but she was there and able to stop him.

His mum Sharon Sharpe said Kieron, who was employed as a gardener, sent her a message on Saturday, July 13 saying he wanted to harm himself.

She told the court he had said similar things in the past and she believed it was his way of expressing his frustration.

Ms Latham went to bed at around 1am on Sunday, July 14 with their daughter, while Kieron planned to sleep on the sofa.

She heard him moving around and opening drawers before she fell asleep, the inquest heard.

When she went downstairs the next day, she found Kieron unresponsive. Paramedics attended but he was confirmed to have died.

A post-mortem examination found Kieron died by hanging and a police investigation did not reveal any suspicious circumstances or third party involvement.

Ms Sharpe said she did not believe Kieron intended to end his life, but thought it was a cry for help.

Ms Latham said: “I don’t know if he wanted me to go downstairs and see him trying to do it and maybe stop him, I don’t know, but I don’t believe he intended to do it.”

After hearing all the evidence, assistant coroner Bronia Hartley said she could not be sure of Kieron’s intentions, so could not find he died by either suicide or misadventure.

Instead, she recorded a narrative conclusion stating he took his own life, but it was “not possible to determine his intention”.

She explained she had considered a number of facts, including that he did not leave a note or final message, there were no recent professional reports of depression and that he may have hoped his partner would find him in time and intervene.

Paying tribute to her son after the hearing, Ms Sharpe said: “He never phoned me, he video-called me every single day.

"He lived for his little girl. It brought him alive when he had her and he was 32 when she was born.

"He had a heart of gold.”

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