Sick husband 'threatened to kill'

Susan Goswell was found stabbed to death at the family home

A mentally-ill man told a nurse he was going to kill himself and his wife less than a month before he carried out his threat, a Sussex inquest has heard.

Roger Goswell told nurse Steven Barry of his intention at a mental health unit in Chichester last November.

Mr Goswell, 66, killed himself in a car crash hours after his wife Susan, 63, was stabbed to death at their home in West Chiltington on 23 December.

The inquest at Worthing heard the threat was not reported to police.

Retired property developer Mr Goswell had disclosed detailed plans to strike his wife repeatedly over the head with a glass bottle and then commit suicide.

The inquest heard Mr Goswell was admitted to the Harold Kidd unit run by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, after failing in a bid to gas himself in his car earlier in the year.

'Transfer postponed'

Mr Barry told the hearing he considered alerting police, but added he was not aware of a policy of when officers should be called about information divulged by patients.

He said that, in hindsight, police should have been informed, and added the situation would now be handled differently, with a police liaison officer now working with the health trust.

Mr Goswell was set to be transferred to the Priory Clinic in Hove, but the move was postponed after he made the threats.

Later, after further assessment, he was judged to be suitable for transfer.

'Emotional time'

Specialist psychiatrist Dr Grant Coe said he decided Mr Goswell should not be sectioned because he was complying with requests.

He said: "As long as [patients] are taking their medication and are compliant, we don't tend to section people unnecessarily."

Dr Coe told the hearing that despite Mr Goswell's threat to harm himself and his wife, he did not think he would be likely to abscond.

He added: "Clearly he was going through a very emotional time in his life but based on my 45-minute interview he didn't present as someone who had a psychotic disorder."

The inquest continues.