Heartbroken mum killed herself at spot where her 16-year-old son died eight weeks earlier

In a chilling repeat of Ethan Hardman's tragic suicide, devoted mother Camille, 45, carried out an exact re-enactment in woods near Walton-le-Dale because she couldn't live without him.

Area Coroner Kate Bisset was told Camille, who had a history of depression stretching back 20 years, made numerous threats to end her life before finally carrying them out one night in early December 2022.

After a search her body was found by the same police officer who had discovered her son's body in the same spot known as Forty Steps off Elmsett Road.

The Coroner said: "This was an absolute tragedy, utterly heart-breaking. Camille was an intelligent, articulate and loving lady and Ethan was the light of her life. When Ethan died she was destroyed by the loss, her heart was broken beyond repair."

The inquest was told that Camille, an HR administrator, found life too much when her only child killed himself on October 14 after splitting with his girlfriend. He was also struggling to deal with the death of his grandmother and the pressure of starting his first job.

Her partner Richard Benson, who lives in Leeds, broke down in court as he revealed that on a number of occasions over the following eight weeks she had expressed an intention to take her own life. He said: "Camille had lots of challenges and had struggles with her mental health. But she was very loving, kind, funny and intelligent."

The inquest was told that she had even been detained for a short period in Leeds under the Mental Health Act following concerns from her family and health care professionals. But she had managed to get out of the unit and spent three days on her own in a hotel, where she tried unsuccessfully to kill herself.

The Coroner read out a statement from the family which said she had been given anti-depressants following Ethan's death because her mental health had deteriorated. She had periods of heavy drinking and had started attending meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. "She was extremely fragile, she couldn't envisage how she could carry on without him."

On December 8 her sister called round at her home to find the doors wide open. She wasn't in the house and it appeared she had left by the side gate to avoid being seen on a neighbours doorbell camera. She had left a note for her loved ones and "had thought carefully about what she was going to do," it said. "It was too much pain and torment imagining how she could live without her son."

Tony Garner, told how was out walking his dog in Holland Wood, Walton-le-Dale when he came across Camille sitting on steps early one morning. "She said she was fine," he recalled. "I got about six feet beyond her and she said 'just over there my son killed himself.'"

She told him about spending three days in a hotel in Leeds trying to kill herself with drink and pills. Then she said to him: "You're not going to call the police are you?"

"I helped her up and she said she would be OK. So I went home and went to work, but it played on my mind. Later that day I saw a Facebook post in which she seemed upbeat. I messaged her back inviting her to go for a walk if she wanted to talk. Then I saw a post later that she had gone back to those woods and took her own life. I realised I was probably one of the last people to see her alive."

Det Insp Mark Riley, who was the senior investigating officer on the case, said that when he visited Camille's house there were photos of Ethan laid out on the settee as well as a framed football shirt of his. Her mobile phone was recovered and it contained an account of what she was intending to do.

A number of mental health professionals gave evidence about the work that had gone on trying to safeguard Camille. They chartered her ups and downs, sometimes saying she wanted to end her life and others when she assured them she had no intention of doing anything.

An investigation later showed that all the professionals involved had done everything they could and could not be blamed. But it flagged up "frustration" that West Yorkshire Police had not been forthcoming with information from Camille's time "missing" in Leeds.

One said Camille said she had been struggling to sleep because she kept experiencing visions of Ethan when he took his own life. She said: "Her mood was low, she was spending long periods of time in bed, constantly thinking about her son and what had happened to him," said mental health nurse Natalie Maher.

"She was experiencing feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. She didn't want to be here any more. She wanted to be with her son."

Reaching a conclusion of suicide Area Coroner Bisset said Camille had been drinking half a bottle of vodka a day at times and Ethan's death had caused her to suffer "catastrophic" mental health problems. "The loss of a child is unthinkable, but it was unsurvivable for Camille."

She said it appeared that Camille had been deliberately calculating in what she told mental health staff so she had the space and opportunity to do what she intended.

"The services did everything they could to support her mental health. I am equally satisfied Richard and her family could not have done any more to protect her. There is nothing that could have been done differently by that family. And the man in the woods is not responsible in any way."

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