Preston woman sent mother a farewell text before suicide

A businesswoman took a fatal overdose of painkillers after she sent a text to her mother saying: ‘I’m sorry for everything, you will understand one day’.

Jennifer Parker, 44, from Preston, sent the message to June Utting in a ‘cry for help’ as she battled mental health issues.

But Mrs Utting, 63, a photographer, was unaware the message had been sent as she was taking a bath and by the time she read the text, it was too late.

Her daughter was found dead shortly afterwards at an e-cigarette shop she ran in Penwortham after her partner raised the alarm. Tests shown she took Tramadol pills.

An inquest heard Miss Parker had a history of self-harming but felt she was being ignored by mental health services, who she phoned a day before her death but was told to ring back an hour later.

She attended appointments with the crisis team at Preston in the hope of being admitted to hospital and was on the phone to workers the day before her death on March 25 this year.

In the call a practitioner told her to contact the crisis team if she thought of ‘doing something’ before asking that she ring back in an hour.

Mrs Utting told the Preston hearing: ‘I really feel like they [the crisis team] have let her down.

‘On the day I had a phone call from Jennifer at 10:45am I was in the middle of a photo shoot which she knew I was attending.

‘Then I had 15 minutes to talk to her. She told me she had been diagnosed as bipolar.

‘I was quite shocked at that because there was no indication of being diagnosed, we had never spoken about it.

‘She said “where are you” and I said “I’m at my shoot” she said “I’m so sorry mum I forgot”.

‘She told me she loved me and I said I loved her back. Later I got a text message at 4pm. But I didn’t see that text message, I had gone straight home and into the bath.’

Ms Parker(pictured) was found dead shortly afterwards at an e-cigarette shop she ran in Penwortham after her partner raised the alarm. Tests shown she took Tramadol pills.

Mrs Utting had a phone call from her daughter’s partner, Stephen, saying she believed Ms Parker was in trouble.

‘As I got out of the bath, Stephen, Jennifer’s partner rang me to say he thinks Jennifer had done something silly and would I ring the police which at that point I did,’ she said.

‘I had a spare set of shop keys and John got them and went to the shop and all this time I was on the phone to the police. 

‘I realised she’d sent me a text at 4.19pm saying “love you mum and I’m sorry for everything, you will understand one day, I’ve made my choice”. She told me to listen to a song.

‘I didn’t see it until it was too late. She said the same thing to all of us.

‘I think she was wanting to be found before she died because if you were going to kill yourself you’re not going to tell people and she said “don’t ring me” as if I’m not going to ring her.’

Mrs Utting criticised the mental health crisis team for not admitting her daughter to hospital. 

‘Jennifer wanted to go into hospital but the crisis team were not there for her,’ she said.

‘Two weeks prior she did the same but we never knew about this until she died. 

‘I think the outcome of this is she just wanted help. She found it very difficult to ask for help I think she was ashamed.

‘I really do feel that she wanted to go into the coma, have everyone around her, have all the paraphernalia around her and then get the help.

‘I did say on the first time she did this “be careful because if you do this again and we are all busy we are not going to get there”.’

A mental health practitioner said she did discuss the idea of admitting Ms Parker(pictured) to hospital

Joanne Ashton, a practitioner from the crisis team, made a written statement which was read out to the hearing. 

She said: ‘Jennifer was initially assessed on January 26 following a referral from accident and emergency following an overdose on January 24. 

‘She reported the GP was monitoring her medication. Sleep was continuing to be an issue but she denied any risk to self.

‘Another assessment was carried out on January 29 and she was feeling better. 

‘Antidepressants had been prescribed and she had a good sleep and tried to minimise her stress and put them into perspective.

‘There was a telephone conversation on March 24 but she had not gone to her appointment. She was aware of the appointment but had been having a bad day. 

‘She experienced some suicidal thoughts and she asked me not to contact her partner.’

The practitioner said she did discuss the idea of admitting Ms Parker to hospital.  

‘I said if she felt she could not keep herself safe then I would have to action something but she said she would go to a friend,’ she said. 

‘She had been talking about a possible hospital admission and said she had to get away from things for a bit. 

‘I said if she felt she was going to do something she should contact the crisis team and asked if she could call back in an hour.

Ms Parker in the e-cigarette shop she ran in Penwortham, where she was found dead on March 25

‘She said she was going to lock the shop and call her friend and she said she was going to give her friend the medication. 

‘There was a return call made but there was no answer, a voicemail message was left.’

Recording a conclusion of drug related death Coroner Richard Taylor told the family: ‘The question of why will be haunting you for some time.

‘She has, on two occasions, done the same thing and received attention – but maybe not as much as she felt she needed.

‘However she let you know where she was, she let you know what she had done and how down she was at the time and you said to her be careful we are not always available 24/7. 

‘She wouldn’t necessarily think about that in the state she was going in.’