Tragic death of popular Wigan solicitor who did not talk about his personal struggles

Bolton Coroner’s Court heard Gerard Frazer – also known as Ged – was the “life and soul of the party”.

He was a partner at Simpson Heald Pearson Solicitors in Wigan, he loved spending time with his daughter and stepson, and he liked to keep fit.

But the inquest heard while the 43-year-old was lively and outgoing in public, he faced mental health difficulties privately, not even telling his parents the extent of them.

He was given medication for depression in 2019 after what his now ex-wife Paula Frazer described as a “breakdown”, before weaning himself off it the following year.

He struggled with the end of their marriage in 2020 and missed spending as much time with his daughter and stepson.

But the court was told that generally Mr Frazer seemed to be okay and never expressed wanting to harm himself.

He started a new relationship with Stacey Caunce and moved into a house in Standish.

Mr Frazer spent time at his parents’ home on Saturday, November 20 before going to watch a friend in a boxing match in Liverpool with Ms Caunce.

The couple had a relaxing day together on the Sunday, with Ms Caunce telling the court they were both “a little bit hungover” but he did not seem to be feeling depressed.

She went home at 3.30pm and Mr Frazer said he was going to the pub to watch football.

The inquest heard she sent him a text message at 7.40pm to ask if he was okay and he replied two hours later saying “no”.

In a conversation by text message, Mr Frazer revealed he felt low and wanted to die.

Ms Caunce tried to convince him otherwise and the conversation ended when he did not reply to a message she sent at 10.10pm.

She did not hear from him the next day, he did not go to work and he did not answer the door when she went to his house.

She went back the following day when she had still not heard from him and decided to alert his mother Mary Frazer.

Mrs Frazer and her husband Gerard went to the house at 12.30am on Wednesday, November 24 and were devastated to find their son’s body.

A post-mortem examination found he died by hanging.

Coroner Prof Dr Alan Walsh recorded Mr Frazer died by suicide, as he believed the text messages sent to Ms Caunce demonstrated his intentions.

He described Mr Frazer as being “in the prime of his life, both socially and professionally”.

Prof Dr Walsh said: “He was a successful solicitor. He was someone who was capable of enjoying life, because he was very sociable.

"But he had another side to his personality, which I am sure he only experienced and only suffered in private, and at times he felt low, he felt down and he felt, I would say by virtue of the message in the text messages, either a failure or inadequate. That is a strange, complex, chameleon-type attitude from being social, outgoing, successful, confident on one hand, but actually suffering privately from mental health issues for which he did not get help.”

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