Man who took his own life was facing string of of sex offence charges

A man who took his own life had been charged with a string of sexual offences weeks earlier. Married father and joiner Simon Cooper's suicide was contributed to by 'failures' in his care by mental health services, a coroner has concluded

Mr Cooper, 37, died after being found unresponsive at his home in Mossley, Tameside, on September 22 last year. An inquest into his death last week heard that in August he had been charged with a 'serious offence'. The nature of the charge was not disclosed during the hearing at South Manchester Coroners' Court in Stockport.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now confirmed Mr Cooper had been charged with eight sexual offences.

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He was due to appear in court charged with five counts of sexual activity with a child; two counts of causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity; and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. The charges all relate to the same alleged victim.

Mr Cooper was informed he had been charged by letter, which the inquest heard was sent on August 23.

Mr Cooper died before his scheduled first court hearing at Tameside Magistrates' Court in December last year and so never entered pleas. Instead, at that hearing on December 14, the case was formally discontinued.

He had been under investigation for over 18 months regarding the allegations, which were first made in January 2022, the inquest was told.

At the hearing, a doctor involved in his care, consultant psychiatrist Dr Javed Chisthi said the case was a 'big issue' for him. "He would always mention what might happen in the future, what if I had to go to prison and what people around him would think, and how it would affect his children," he added. "So it is a very difficult position to be in. But it was something that was ongoing."

An investigation carried out by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust cited the police investigation as 'one of nine factors, not the only factor, that may have impacted on the mental health of Simon', GMP's legal representative Samuel Watson told the hearing.

The charges are not referenced in the conclusion or record of inquest penned by senior coroner Alison Mutch. Mr Cooper 'made a number of attempts to take his own life' and was known to mental health services, the inquest heard.

On August 22 last year, Mr Cooper was detained under the Mental Health Act by police and taken to Tameside Hospital 'having made a significant attempt to take his own life', the inquest heard.

A decision was taken not to admit him and he was referred to a home treatment team run by Pennine Care 'as an alternative to a voluntary inpatient admission'. But following his discharge there were 'a number of failures in his care which contributed to his death', Ms Mutch has concluded.

She says in her report that 'a detailed care plan was not put in place' and that 'there was no attempt to engage with his family to gain insight into his mental health or to share information with them'.

"There was no attempt by the Home Treatment Team to explore with Simon his motivations for his actions and mental distress and how to minimise the risk these feelings presented," she adds.

"There was no effective communication with other agencies to understand the level of engagement he had with them and to develop an effective multi-agency approach. This meant that key information was not explored.

"The risk plans were not regularly updated and information he provided about his mental health was not effectively assessed."

Mr Cooper's medical cause of death was recorded as hanging. Ms Mutch concluded he 'died from suicide contributed to by a failure by mental health services to effectively support him when he was discharged into the community'.

Tim McDougall, executive director of quality, nursing and healthcare professionals at Pennine Care, said: “We are extremely sorry for what happened to Simon and our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends. We carried out a thorough internal investigation into the care and treatment Simon received and recognise that this should have been better.

“Over the past year since Simon’s tragic death, we have made significant improvements to the care patients receive under our home treatment team in the community, this has included improving care plans, safety plans and risk assessment processes.

"We have also introduced a keyworker option to ensure consistency for patients who are in crisis and improved how our teams communicate with the families of our patients. We fully accept the findings of the coroner and we are very sorry for the shortcomings in Simon’s care.”

Help and support

Samaritans (116 123) samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org, write to Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS (no more information needed) and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.

For support for people feeling suicidal, if you are concerned about someone or if you are bereaved by suicide see http://shiningalightonsuicide.org.uk

CALM (0800 58 58 58) thecalmzone.net has a helpline is for men who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. They're open 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year.

Greater Manchester Bereavement Service Greater Manchester Bereavement Service can help to find support for anyone in Greater Manchester that has been bereaved or affected by a death. No one needs to feel alone as they deal with their grief. www.greater-manchester-bereavement-service.org.uk

Childline (0800 1111 ) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.

PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.

Beat Eating Disorders: Beat provides helplines for adults and young people offering support and information about eating disorders. These helplines are free to call from all phones. Adult Helpline: 0808 801 0677, Studentline: 0808 801 0811, Youthline: 0808 801 0711. www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Anorexia & Bulimia Care: ABC provide on-going care, emotional support and practical guidance for anyone affected by eating disorders, those struggling personally and parents, families and friends. Helpline: 03000 11 12 13. www.anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk/

Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts. Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying studentsagainstdepression.org

For information and links to charities and organisations that can help with substance abuse, visit https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/drugs/

Where to go if you've been affected by rape or sexual abuse

Anyone who wishes to seek support but does not want to talk to police can contact St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0161 276 6515 or visiting by visiting the website.

St Mary's provides forensic, counselling and aftercare services for people affected by rape and sexual assault.

The National Male Survivors Helpline, Safeline, can be contacted on 0808 800 5005 or through the website here.

Survivors Manchester supports boys and men who have been affected by rape and sexual assault.

The charity provides therapeutic support and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA). They offer assistance throughout the criminal justice system, from initial reports to court and beyond.

ISVAs work independently of the police, Crown Prosecution Service and court system.

Boys and Men in Greater Manchester affected by sexual abuse, regardless of when it happened, can access Survivors Manchester by calling 0161 236 2182 or emailing: support@survivorsmanchester.org.uk  

A weekly drop in session takes place each Wednesday from 2pm until 5pm.

You can donate to Survivors Manchester here.

Greater Manchester Rape Crisis works with women and girls affected by rape and sexual assault. They can be contacted on 0161 273 4591.

Victims of sexual crimes are entitled to lifelong anonimity.