Missing Leah Croucher's brother killed himself after telling therapist he was fixated

The brother of missing teenager Leah Croucher killed himself after telling a therapist he was finding it difficult to cope and was fixated on suicide.

Hayden Croucher, 24, was found hanging in his flat in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, nine months after Leah disappeared, by his mother Tracey Furness and sister Jade.

He was rushed to hospital where he died, two days later on November 16 last year, Milton Keynes coroner’s court heard today.

Chantelle Tillison, who was an assistant therapist, said at the last of three sessions with Hayden he described his belief that he had no future.

Ms Tillison said: “He felt hopeless and said he would be better off dead. He explained Leah was still missing and found it difficult to cope with no family support.

"He fixated on hanging himself. He said if he had the means to hang himself he would.”

She said she was so concerned she persuaded him to go in her car to Milton Keynes hospital for an assessment for admission.

“It was evident he was unwell,” she said.

The inquest heard he was not admitted after saying he did not want to go to a psychiatric bed out of the area, as there were none available locally.

Dr Jibran Syeed, who was with the home treatment team, said he visited Hayden at home on October 18.

He said: “He (Hayden) had been quite a confident person and outgoing. He mentioned boxing and taekwondo. It was reflected by the medals in his home. Now he had no confidence, no motivation for the future and had thoughts of suicide in the past.”

At their second meeting, on November 8, the doctor said he was more positive and was engaging with his family.

“He was getting on with certain chores and was trying to find a job. He was active in ideas about what he wanted to do. His suicide risk was lower.”

The doctor agreed that he did not envisage Hayden being discharged from the home treatment team four days later.

Colin Garvey, a community psychiatric nurse with the Central and North West London NHS Trust, said that when Hayden seen at Milton Keynes hospital on  October 16 there were no beds available locally.

He said a plan was agreed for him to stay temporarily at his mother’s home.

Tom Osborne, the Senior Coroner for Milton Keynes, asked Mr Garvey: “ If you had formed the only way to keep him safe was for him to be admitted you could have exercised your powers under the mental health act?” Mr Garvey replied: “Yes.”

Mr Garvey said that he did not remember any member of staff objecting to Hayden being discharged from the mental health team and returned to the care of his GP on 12 November.

He agreed the decision to discharge Hayden had not been documented. “It was not documented. That is a fair criticism. We have introduced a system now where decisions are documented.”

Haydon’s death came nine months after his half-sister Leah, 19, vanished on 15 February last year.

The night before, Valentine’s night, Leah left her home in Milton Keynes between 6pm and 7.15pm, telling her mum Claire she was seeing a friend.

The police found out she never saw the friend and they do not know where she went or who she was with.

Mirror