Case body mother killed herself

Heather Wardle told a social worker her son was with his father

A mother found hanged days before her disabled son was discovered dead in a suitcase at their home committed suicide, a coroner has ruled.

Heather Wardle, 39, was found with a dressing gown cord around her neck near her home in Loxley Close, Redditch, Worcestershire, in April.

An open verdict was recorded on her son James Hughes, 21, at the Stourport-on-Severn inquest on Wednesday.

The deputy coroner said before her death "life had started falling apart".

It is believed Mr Hughes had died around two months before his remains were found.

The inquest heard Mrs Wardle had cared for her severely disabled son - who had the mental age of an 18-month-old - since her early 20s.

Anti-depressants

In addition to this she had recently been under a lot of stress, the hearing was told.

She had told her doctor that her partner of 16 years, Brian Kirby, had told her in September 2007 that he had feelings for another woman whom he worked with.

It was the tragic loss of a young devoted mother who had a disabled son Deputy Coroner Margaret Barnard

She had also been visited by bailiffs and was in the process of being evicted from her home because she was in rent arrears.

Social services had contacted her because of concerns about her son's weight loss, but she had told them he was staying with his father.

The inquest heard she was found at the base of a tree near her home with a dressing gown cord around her neck.

She had been prescribed antidepressants and the drug citalopram was discovered in her bloodstream.

There were also high levels of paracetamol and opiates, but these did not contribute to her death.

'Appeared happy'

The deputy coroner for Worcestershire, Margaret Barnard, told Mr Kirby: "Life started to fall apart around her.

"She appeared happy and chipper to the outside world but she struggled to cope."

She added: "I want to express my sincere condolences to your family.

"It was the tragic loss of a young devoted mother who had a disabled son."

Worcestershire County Council's head of learning disability, Steven Chandler, has admitted it did not follow up Mrs Wardle's claims that her son was staying with his father.

Police found Mr Hughes' remains in a suitcase at the family home

Mr Hughes' father Paul has said he believes his son died as a result of neglect by the authorities.

West Mercia Police announced in October that it would not be bringing charges over the deaths of Mrs Wardle and her son.

Speaking outside court, Det Supt Jon Groves said it would have been Mr Hughes' birthday on 20 April - two days after she went missing.

He said: "His family were expecting to see him.

"We can only guess at Heather's state of mind, but she must have known that she could no longer keep up the pretence that everything was all right."

He added: "Heather was his main carer and from all accounts was a very good mother, not only to James but to her three younger sons."

Worcestershire County Council's director of adult and community services, Eddie Clarke, said a review had highlighted areas for improvement but said no individual was responsible for the deaths of Mr Hughes or his mother.

He said the department had fallen below the standards it set itself by failing to effectively investigate why Mr Hughes had stopped attending its services.

He added: "I personally regret very much that this was the case."