Tragic death of Wigan grandad, 45, who took his own life after heart condition diagnosis
A Wigan grandad who took his own life had recently been diagnosed with a rare heart condition which had killed two of his brothers, an inquest heard.
Bernard Lawrence, 45, was due to have a defibrillator fitted for Brugada syndrome, a genetic condition which affects the heart rhythm.
Bolton Coroner’s Court heard he never got over the death of his youngest brother, who was his best friend, three years ago and faced further tragedy when another brother died from the same condition in September.
But Bernard did not appear to be depressed and was in high spirits the day before he died, according to his wife Annie in a statement read to the court.
Bernard was born in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, and was one of eight siblings.
He left school when he was eight or nine years old and sold carpets for a living in his early 20s, before later becoming unemployed.
His family split their time between Ireland and England and he was a devout Catholic who enjoyed swimming, going to the gym and fixing broken washing machines.
The court heard he said his proudest achievement was being happily married for nearly 29 years and bringing up five children and four grandchildren.
On the evening of April 5, he appeared to be in a good mood, talking to his wife about their family and having a few drinks, her statement said.
The following day, she was at their home in Golborne when she heard Bernard go downstairs, open the car boot, close it and go back into the house.
She went to check on him around 15 minutes later as she could not hear any sounds and found him slouched in the bathroom.
Annie was concerned about his heart condition and did not consider he had taken his own life as he had always spoken against suicide, the court heard.
She called 999 and paramedics attended, but Bernard could not be saved.
A pathologist found he died by hanging. Toxicology tests showed the amount of alcohol in his blood was more than double the legal limit for driving.
A police investigation did not reveal any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
Coroner Peter Sigee recorded Bernard died by suicide.
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