Heartbreaking: How Popular Politician Was Found Hanging by His Wife After His Note Warned Her to Call Police
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Carl Sargeant, a Wales Assembly Member, was found hanged at his home by his wife, a coroner’s court has heard today.
According to a report by The Sun UK, the politician, 49, was found dead last Tuesday by his wife Bernadette just four days after being removed from his role as cabinet secretary for communities and children.
The father-of-two, from Connah’s Quay, North Wales, was suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of “unwanted attention, inappropriate touching or groping”.
Mrs Sargeant had gone downstairs and found a note on the door of her utility room in her husband’s handwriting advising her not to enter but to call the police, Ruthin Coroner’s Court heard.
John Gittins, Senior Coroner for North Wales, giving details at the opening of the inquest into Mr Sargeant’s death, continued: “Nonetheless she did go in and found her husband on the floor after an apparent act of self-harm.”
Efforts to resuscitate him continued by Mrs Sargeant and family members along with paramedics until life was pronounced extinct.
A provisional cause of death was given as hanging.
The labour politician with his with Bernadette, who found his body
Mr Gittins said his inquest will not consider the truth of allegations made against Mr Sargeant or making adjudications on “who is right or wrong”.
First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said last week that he had “no alternative” but to kick the politician out of Labour when he was accused of sexual harassment – four days before he killed himself.
Mr Jones has called for a senior QC to carry out an independent inquiry to examine his handling of the case.
Mr Sargeant’s family has criticised the decision to ask the Permanent Secretary to begin preparatory work and said it will prevent the probe from being truly independent.
Pals have claimed he was “thrown to the wolves” in how he was hounded out of the party in the wake of the allegations.
Mr Gittins said at today’s hearing: “The events of the days preceding his death may be relevant to my inquiry”, and said he would be seeking statements from Mr Sargeant’s family and the First Minister and “possibly from others at the Welsh Assembly in the coming weeks”.
He said he would be “examining carefully the steps taken by the Assembly to have regard to Mr Sargeant’s mental welfare prior to his death”.
Due to the independent inquiry already announced, the coroner said he was not able to set a date for the inquest to resume, and its own findings may have a bearing on the inquest.
He concluded: “May I take this opportunity to express my sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Mr Sargeant and to assure them all that there will be a full and fair examination of the matters which are relevant to my investigation and that I shall not allow the inquest to be a trial by press, politics or personality.”
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