Wigan dad’s death came as ‘huge shock’ to family and mental health professionals

The body of Craig Dumican, 37, from Standish, was discovered on the morning of Sunday, February 19. He had only been formally discharged from mental health services two days before, following an unsuccessful suicide attempt in January.

An inquest at Bolton Coroners Court heard that on both occasions, Craig had taken cocaine, which negatively affected the balance of his mind.

A statement from his wife Devon Dumican, who was not present at the hearing, said they had married in 2019 and had two young children. Craig also had a teenage son from a previous relationship.

Craig worked on drilling rigs all his working life, but had stopped a couple of years ago after his wife became unwell to help look after the children.

In her statement, Mrs Dumican said: "His job involved hard, demanding work. He also did weightlifting exercises. His main health problem was his mental health. He'd suffered from anxiety and depression, although he'd also been stable for many years."

However over the last six weeks of his life there'd been a deterioration, and four weeks before Craig’s death he had tried unsuccessfully to take his own life at home, where fortunately his wife discovered him in time.

He was transferred to Wigan Infirmary, and subsequently to a mental health unit at St Mary's Hospital in Warrington, where he remained for two days. However, against medical advice, he discharged himself on January 17, and there were no grounds for hospital staff to detain him against his will.

After his first suicide attempt, his wife temporarily left the family home. She said: "The incident was very distressing and traumatic for me. I was on edge all the time and frightened he was going to do it again."

She said Craig "kept himself to himself" and spent most of his time with his family. After the suicide attempt, she said Craig had "seemed fine." She said her husband had been under the influence of cocaine at the time of his first attempt, which "messed with his head" and contributed to his mental health problems.

She added that Craig "went everywhere with his children and had a heart of gold. He was the gentlest person I'd ever met and was a good dad to his kids."

On the day of his death, February 19, Devon had become concerned after she was unable to make contact with him at home. She eventually went round to the house they shared in Adelphi Street, but when she could not gain access she called emergency services, who forced entry and discovered Craig unresponsive on the stairs.

A post mortem confirmed the cause of death as hanging and found the presence of a small amount of alcohol, along with cannabis, cocaine and prescribed medication, in his system. The pathologist said this combination might have influenced the deceased's state of mind at the time.

A GMP investigation found there were no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement in his death.

Rebecca Damosevicius, a senior nurse practitioner who was involved with Craig's care, said that in the month between the first suicide attempt and the second successful one, Craig had shown signs of improvement and had "positive goals for the future," including getting a new job.

He continued to receive care as an outpatient and had been discharged from mental health services just two days before his body was found.

The coroner, Simon Nelson, said Craig's diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder meant that he acted impulsively. His mental health problems were also exacerbated by his poly-substance abuse.

Mr Nelson said: "No-one involved in his care had any cause to believe, on February 17, that anything untoward would occur over the subsequent weekend. His death came as a huge shock to the family and professionals concerned." He concluded Craig died by suicide.