A young man was found dead by his family after offering to look after the dog whilst they were out, an inquest has heard. Callum Thurlow-Lewis, 20, was described as a “kind, gentle soul” who had felt increasingly isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic and tragically took his own life at his home in Stratford.
He had recently been expecting to start a new job with a family friend, but this had fallen through and his family told the court that he had started spending more time on his computer. Callum’s GP records and evidence from North East London NHS Foundation Trust showed that he had not been referred to their services, and his contact with his doctor was “relatively limited”.
On the evening of November 21, 2021, Waltham Forest Coroners Court heard that he had agreed to look after his gran’s dog whilst she visited a friend. Upon her arrival home, she found Callum face down and unconscious, and immediately called the emergency services.
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Four ambulances were dispatched within a minute of the call being made and arrived at the scene in four minutes, where they found Callum’s body. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, the defibrillator showed no signs of electrical activity and he was pronounced dead at 7:38pm.
A note of intent was later found which offered words of love to his family, as well as instructions for his funeral and the details of his bank accounts to pay for the expenses of the service. Following an inspection of the premises, Metropolitan Police officers came to the conclusion that the death was “non-suspicious and that a crime had not been committed”.
A post-mortem examination found that there were “no signs of any significant or fresh traumatic injuries”, whilst a blood and urine sample found a substantial number of drugs, including painkillers, that had caused his death.
In a statement read aloud to the court by Coroner Graeme Irvine, his gran said: “He died as pure as he entered this world. I miss him every single day, he was a credit to us all. All you can say was that Callum was an amazing young man with a bright future that he couldn’t see.”
Describing it as a “tragic set of circumstances”, Mr Irvine said: “He was a young man who was part of a close knit family and it seems to me that he was very well loved and supported. It is very clear from the note that he left that the relationship was a strong one and he felt able to communicate with his family.
“This young man had been very isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic. He had been due to start a job during the early part of the pandemic but that had not come to fruition,” he said. “What is clear is that Callum did not have a history of mental health treatment that related to attempts to self harm or attempts to end his life as far as any medical records disclosed.”
He explained that upon the balance of probabilities, “Callum did something to cause his own death and intended to cause his own death”, and he returned a conclusion of suicide before offering his sympathies to the family.
Recent data from the Office of National Statistics showed that around three-quarters of registered suicide deaths in 2020 were for men, whilst the male suicide rate is 15.4 per 100,000. If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health, you can contact Samaritans on their 24/7 line on 116 123 or contact them via email or through their web chat.
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