‘Smiling’ Sheffield granddad accidentally slipped and fell into river after telling mental health services he was feeling suicidal

Peter Percival, 53, who lived on Rivelin Valley Road, was found dead in the river by a runner on the morning of July 17, 2020.

At an inquest into his death in Sheffield, assistant coroner Katie Dickinson heard that police had been searching for Mr Percival the night before following a phone call he had made to mental health services on the evening of July 16, while he was on a walk.

During that call Mr Percival, who had a history of mental health difficulties, said that he was feeling suicidal and had taken an overdose.

However, a pathologist determined that he had not taken the overdose and the coroner found that it was most likely that the call was a ‘cry for help’ and the fall that led to his death was unrelated to his mental illness.

Mental health nurse Imelda Murphy, who worked on the home treatment team that saw Mr Percival, gave evidence at the inquest.

She explained how Mr Percival, who was a tradesman, had been referred to mental health services eight times in the four years prior to his death for feeling suicidal and self harming.

Ms Murphy said: “He had a traumatic childhood. He was subject to a lot of stress that he struggled with and still struggled to talk about.

"[He would] go through a good period and then something could happen that triggered memories of abuse and then a crisis could happen again.”

Mr Percival was prescribed with medication including diazepam, amitriptyline to help with a back injury, and sleeping medication.

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In January 2020, the coroner heard that Mr Percival had been to A and E with concerns about his mental health.

Miss Michelle Badger, a mental health nurse at Northern General, said: “He reported that he had thoughts of hurting himself and other people.

"He said that he didn’t have any immediate intent to act on these thoughts.”

Mr Percival was transferred to a unit for further assessment however he later discharged himself – something he was allowed to do as medical staff felt that he had capacity to make decisions.

In March 2020 Mr Percival’s GP referred him to Northern General following reports he was feeling suicidal, however there was a delay in picking up his case as nurses were busy.

Ms Murphy explained that Mr Percival’s continued mental health difficulties were exacerbated as “he struggled to engage with recovery services” after he had been seen in hospital each time.

She said that he would often say he felt he had been “let down” by the mental health services, something she said was linked to the fact that his care co-ordinator changed during his treatment and was replaced with one with whom did not work as well.

At the inquest Mr Percival’s wife Janet and daughter Leanne raised concerns about the fact that he was not sectioned, in spite of his fears that he was a danger to himself and others.

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They spoke of how Mr Percival’s feelings of distress would suddenly “go from zero to 100” and questions how he could be allowed to discharge when there was a high chance of him struggling again very soon afterwards.

Ms Murphy explained that mental health services will try and help people in the ‘least restrictive’ way, and that evidence shows patients are more likely to benefit from treatment in the community than by being detained.

This is the function of the recovery services however a patient cannot be forced to engage with those, she added.

The inquest heard that on July 16, 2020, Mr Percival went for a walk in the Rivelin Valley area, close to his house.

While on the walk he phoned the mental health services and said that he had taken an overdose and had alcohol “and had done that with the intention to end his life”.

Suzanne Bentley, the mental health nurse who took his call, told the inquest: “He sounded confused on the phone and was giving me lots of different locations that were all fairly close together.

"I could hear him walking and could hear water as well. I just talked to him about anything to try and keep him on the phone.

"It got difficult towards the end to understand him. He became more confused and I think he did not realise who he was talking to.”

After two hours on the phone to Ms Bentley the phone line went quiet.

Assistant coroner Ms Dickinson pointed out that Mr Percival had not in fact taken the overdose, as toxicologists later discovered.

She said: “I think he had been out walking when he likely lost his footing at the top of the river bank and fell down into the river.

"I think he had his sleeping medication before and then went out and had a bit of alcohol and he was walking and his thoughts were on other things.

"He clearly hadn’t taken the overdose of tablets so I think his call was a cry for help. Maybe he planned to go and do something but these sad events overtook him.”

Ms Dickinson found that Mr Percival died an accidental death.

Mr Percival’s wife Janet paid tribute to her late husband. She said: “Peter was the life and soul. He would help anybody and would sort out anybody’s problems except his own.”

His daughter Leanne added: “He was the clown. He could make anybody laugh and never stopped smiling.

"They say that it’s the ones who are the saddest that are the ones who try to make everybody else happy.”

Samaritans (116 123) samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. Email Samaritans at [email protected]