Single mother, 21, hanged herself to Ed Sheeran song Small Bump after being haunted by her decision to have an abortion
04/04/2016 Daily Mail
A young mother was left so haunted by her decision to abort an unborn child that she hanged herself while listening to an Ed Sheeran song about the heartbreak of miscarriage.
Jade Rees, 21, had a termination when her five-month relationship with the baby's father broke down and he began dating another woman.
But the mother-of-one's decision left her 'upset and distressed' - and three weeks later she took her own life.
Miss Rees left handwritten notes addressed to her parents and two-year-old son, explaining the struggle she had faced since the devastating procedure, in which she stressed that her little boy 'means everything to me'.
She died while listening to the Ed Sheeran song Small Bump - a first person account of a miscarried child, written from the point of view of one of the songwriter's closest friends.
An inquest into her death revealed Miss Rees, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, had a history of eating disorders and had battled depression since she was just 14.
She had been prescribed antidepressants after being diagnosed with anorexia but was taken off the tablets when she fell pregnant with her son in 2013.
Although she split from the boy's father when she was just four months pregnant, the then teenager coped 'exceptionally well' as a doting single mother.
She met her most recent boyfriend in early 2015 but they split after she became pregnant with his child. Her pregnancy was terminated in October. It is not known how far gone she was at the time of the procedure.
The Heywood hearing was told Miss Rees' mental state worsened when she visited a pub she used to frequent with her ex-partner - only to discover he had asked the landlord to bar her.
She then overdosed on prescription and over the counter pills twice in 48 hours. On the second occasion her father had to rush her to Royal Oldham Hospital's A&E department, where she stayed for two days before being declared medically fit for discharge.
Doctors did however refer her to psychiatric services for a full and thorough assessment.
Dr Easodhavidhya Elangomo, the trainee psychiatric specialist who handled Miss Rees case, told the inquest how she had come to know the young mother following her visit to the Royal Oldham Hospital.
She told the hearing: 'My first impression of Jade was that she was dressed casually and was very well kempt. She was upset and angry, emotions she directed at me, because she had endured such a long wait to see me.
'I apologised for the inconvenience and told her I had been very busy in the clinic.
'She was fiddling on her phone a lot and clearly in no mood to engage with me. She complained that the room was too hot. She told me she just wanted to go home to her son, who she clearly loved dearly.
'She told me about the abortion she had just weeks earlier, and how the split from her ex-partner had been very distressing for her. She told me she believed he had a new girlfriend and was struggling to come to terms with it.
'Though she was upset, she did not have any ongoing thoughts of suicide or self-harm. She denied any sense of hopelessness, and was adamant she eventually wanted to return to college to complete her A-Levels.
'She denied having any past medical history or any form of psychotic illness. When I asked her about this, she said "For God's sake, I have a son to look after".
'She identified her son as a protective factor and kept insisting that she wanted to leave so that she could get home and put him to bed. She then stated she did not wish to answer any further questions without her father by her side.'
Dr Elangomo added: 'Though I felt she was no risk to herself or others, due to the two overdoses she had taken so close together, I was concerned by her impulsivity. When her father arrived, he also voiced his concerns about her impulsive nature.
'I referred her to mental health services, and she promised to attend the appointment. I gave her the appointment card in the presence of her father, and he agreed to keep an eye on her.
'She told me she regretted taking the overdose, and promised to keep herself safe. She was on no antidepressants at the time of our meeting that I was aware of, and I did not prescribe her any.'
Days later - on what transpired to be the evening before her death on November 3 - Miss Rees informed her parents she was attending a bonfire.
When she returned home at around midnight, she seemed 'very upset' and proceeded to discuss her ex-partner - though her parents were not concerned about her mental state at this time.
Her mother Anne discovered her body at 10.30am the following morning.
Recording a verdict of suicide, assistant coroner Matthew Cox said: 'Due to the circumstances and the contents of her note, I am satisfied that Jade did intend the consequence of her actions.
'I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Mr Rees and to the rest of Jade's family at this very difficult and distressing time.'