Am "outgoing" British Army veteran was found dead in the back of his lorry, an inquest has heard. Drew Howe, 26, was discovered at a lay-by on the A18 in Lincolnshire on October 19 last year.
Medical professionals rushed to the scene as the dad, from Stockport, had been found, but he could not be saved. An inquest into his passing has now concluded he took his own life.
The coroner's report on his death will include a letter to a mental health trust to raise about patients' experiences, after Mr Howe was "passed from pillar to post" trying to get help, reports the Manchester Evening News.
His sister, Keata, told the hearing her brother would have done "anything for anybody" and that he was "friendly, kind and outgoing". Mr Howe previously served in the Army after joining in 2015.
He was posted to the Queen's Royal Hussars, the most senior armoured regiment in the British Army, in 2016. He spent four years in service before being discharged. Mr Howe received treatment in hospital after being said to have had a 'breakdown' while in service.
Mr Howe later told medical professionals he believed he was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alongside anxiety and depression. A formal diagnosis on the dad was not made.
Following his discharge, he became a HGV driver, journeying all over the UK but with a focus on the North East of England. Mr Howe was, according to his sister, in line for a promotion as she noted: "He loved trucks and loved that life."
However, the inquest heard there had been a "dramatic deterioration" in his mental health last year. He told family members of his feelings of depression as he sought help from mental health services in Stockport.
There were "at least two other occasions" Mr Howe was treated in hospital after "reporting intentions to take his life". His sister noted: "Just a few months before he did what he did, he came out and told us he was feeling depressed and he needed help and we did what we could to help him.
"But he never talked about what he was going through. I never saw him as having depression. Every time I saw him he seemed dead bubbly, he was always laughing and joking around. He was a joker."
Following a GP consultation in August 2022, Mr Howe was referred to the Healthy Minds minds service for potential talking therapies. But the inquest heard staff believed him to be "not stable enough" for the form of therapy and he was then passed on to the access team run by Pennine Care NHS Foundation trust, based at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport.
He was assessed six days before his death and was said to be "exhibiting no obvious or avert signs of mental illness", following a consultation with a psychiatrist. The 26-year-old was then referred on to specialist Military Veterans Service organised by the trust.
Mr Howe was still awaiting assessment at the time of his death, the inquest heard, with a referral received eight days after. He was discharged by the access team without a formal diagnosis.
The father did not leave a note at the scene, with police coroner's officer Alison Catlow noting no notes, messages or photographs gave "any indication" of his intentions to take his own life on his mobile device. Ms Catlow noted she had learned of a Facebook update that did "cause some concern" and prompted messages from friends but it appears Mr Howe did not open or read said responses.
An investigation by Humberside Police concluded there were no suspicious circumstances or any third-party involvement. Assistant coroner Chris Morris recorded a conclusion of suicide following the inquest on Tuesday, April 25.
"This is a very sad case indeed," he said, as he described Mr Howe as a "very much-loved and highly thought of person". He said he believed Mr Howe was someone who "put a brave face on things" and that "the evidence demonstrates it must have been no small thing for him to start to confront the difficulties he was facing; his low mood, his anxiety, and his struggles".
Mr Morris said there was an "absence of critical analysis" in an investigation report carried out by Pennine Care with concerns around the delivery of services from patients' perspective and their ability to navigate services. A prevention of future deaths report will now be written up to Pennine's Chief Executive with the concerns noted in full.
Tributes poured in for Mr Howe's following his death, including £15,000 being raised to support his family as close friend Adam Bellis told the Liverpool Echo: "I met him about two and half, three years ago. I just met him through the trucks basically. We parked up in the same place one night and the lads I was with at the time that I knew, knew Drew and he just came to the pub with us all and it went from there.
"We hit it off and became best mates." It's such a shock to us all because he was such a bubbly character and he was dead lively all the time."
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