A TROUBLED young man, who said he would never make 30, was found hanged near his home, an inquest heard.
Peterborough Town Hall was told Matthew Williams (21) from Silver Birch Court, Wittering, near Peterborough, was found by a tree by a member of the public on April 30.
The inquest heard how Matthew had bought a bottle of vodka and two litres of ci
der the night before.
In a statement, his mother, Joanne, said: “He was a placid, happy-go-lucky teenager. He was a very popular boy who couldn’t say ‘no’ to people.
“In September 2005, Matthew took an overdose of paracetamol and aspirin and was on the road to self-destruction.
“He would say he wouldn’t make 30. It was always suspected Matthew would take his own life.”
The inquest heard how Matthew left school when he was 16 and found it hard to keep up a job as he was always questioning authority.
It also heard how his father left him when he was six years old and then died of cancer in 2006.
Recording an open verdict, coroner Gordon Ryall said although there were all the ingredients for a suicide, the because of the fact that Mr Williams had been drinking, his reasoning and decision-making may have been affected.
He said: “He was clearly a very troubled young man who resisted all the attempts to help him.”
The full article contains 241 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
