A disabled mother took her own life after her benefits were incorrectly stopped, a coroner has concluded.
Jodey Whiting, 42, left notes to her family members, saying she had no food, could not afford her bills, and that she had “had enough”, an inquest heard.
The mother-of-nine had a hospital stay in December 2016, after contracting pneumonia, that meant she missed a letter about her benefits, saying she needed to be medically assessed.
In January 2017, Ms Whiting was told she had missed the medical assessment and she was therefore judged to be fit to work.
As well as losing her Employment and Support Allowance, she would also lose housing and council tax benefits.
An initial inquest into her death in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, in 2017 did not consider the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) role in ending her benefits.
Ms Whiting’s mother Joy Dove fought a long legal battle for a second inquest, going all the way to the Court of Appeal.
Ms Dove said when she saw her daughter two days before her death in February 2017, she was “shaking and crying” and threatened to kill herself.
She told the hearing at Teesside Magistrates’ Court the loss of benefits contributed to her daughter’s death.
“I know my daughter and I know it was (that),” she said.
“It was the fact she couldn’t find a job, the worry of paying bills, and being pushed out after being so vulnerable all those years and years.”
Wrongly withdrawn benefits ‘was trigger’
Ms Dove told the inquest that her daughter – who had six grandchildren – had a brain cyst, chronic pains, a drug dependency, and poor mental health.
She added that Ms Whiting became increasingly housebound in the last years of her life.
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On Monday, coroner Clare Bailey concluded that Ms Whiting’s death was suicide “in the context of a deteriorating mental state, precipitated by the withdrawal of state benefits”.
The coroner added: “Her actions were in the context of her benefits having been wrongly withdrawn by the DWP in circumstances where there had been five missed opportunities to avoid the significant errors.
“This had the effect of negatively impacting upon her mental health, and was the trigger to her taking a fatal overdose.”
‘It should not have taken an eight-year fight’
After the hearing, Ms Dove said she “always believed that Jodey took her life due to failings by the DWP” and the coroner had “confirmed that mistakes made by the DWP in the way they handled Jodey’s case caused her death”.
“It should not have taken an eight-year fight for justice to get where we are today,” she said.
“It has been an uphill battle trying to get answers and accountability, but I would never give up.
“I was determined to keep fighting for justice for Jodey.”
An Independent Case Examiner report into the judgment to remove Ms Whiting’s benefits discovered several mistakes were made, that her payments should not have been cut, and recommended the government compensate her family with £10,000.
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Helga Swidenbank – a DWP director for disability services – said: “I was not in post at the time, but those who I have spoken to are deeply regretful and sorry about what happened.
“There were a number of opportunities to have picked up concerns about Jodey, and we are very sorry about that.”
She added that the DWP has “more work to do” in regard to focusing more on people’s vulnerabilities.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
