A supply teacher who was found dead at his home was "doing everything he could to try and survive" an inquest heard. Shaun Armstrong, 38, was sadly found unresponsive at his Rochdale home on Thursday 13 January.
Days before his death, the supply teacher had reached out to his family, friends, workplace and doctors regarding his mental health struggles. Described as a ‘bubbly’ person who was ‘good at his job and loved it’, Shaun had confided in his family for the first time in his life after dealing with a break up and two hip operations that had kept him out of work for almost six months.
His younger brother, Matthew Armstrong told the inquest held yesterday (June 22) at Rochdale Coroners Court how Shaun was described as ‘panicky, exasperated and struggling to breathe’ by his parents after he had gone to their home following the split between he and his partner who had spent the day with on Saturday, January 8.
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During the inquest, his brother also described the difficulties Shaun was having in dealing with being unable to take part in sports he loved such as football and running which his brother believed helped Shaun cope with his mental health issues over the years.
That Saturday night, Shaun had gone to his parent’s house after spending the day with his ex-partner who had decided to move back to Cambodia and end their relationship. His brother told the inquest that Shaun was “panicky, exasperated and struggling to breathe" and added “It was not a normal reaction someone who had gone out for a day with a girlfriend would have.”
Taking advice from his mother, Shaun called an on-call doctor using the 111 service that night and explained that he ‘didn’t feel right’ and spoke about his mental health issues that he had been suffering from for close to ten years but was ‘embarrassed’ to tell his loved ones about.
The inquest heard how Shaun would describe to his parents and brother over the years he would go through periods of extremely 'high and low moods'. In a statement read out during the inquest, the on-call doctor stated that “It was evident that Shaun was struggling from depression.”
Shaun studied sociology at the University of Huddersfield before finding his 'calling' in teaching which saw him work abroad in places such as Australia, Dubai and Cambodia. He returned to the UK in 2020, where he had to have two hip surgeries due to a footballing accident. The operations left him unable to work for a long period of time but he was set to start a new job as a supply teacher at Marland Community Primary School in Rochdale in January 2022.
The few days before Shaun tragically died he had reached out to his family and friends to which his brother said he received ‘a positive’ response with everybody rallying around him and visiting him regularly. The day after he had confided in his parents he spent it with his brother Matthew and some friends, speaking about his brother Matthew said: “You could tell something was wrong, he was not his usual chatty self, he was teary eyed and emotional.”
The following week Shaun had also reached out to his workplace where he had recently started and explained to them his struggles. The inquest heard how the school had passed on the information to all the relevant people, and Shaun was given support. The inquest heard how he had also been given a prescription of antidepressants by his GP but he did not take them as he was worried about the side effects.
Shaun’s family and friends were doing everything they could to help him, and Shaun who originally lived alone was staying at his parent’s house while working at his new job. However, on the morning of Thursday 13 January, Shaun had failed to turn up for work, prompting the school to make house calls to both his home and his parents home, after receiving no reply they called the police and Shaun was sadly eventually found dead at his home in Rochdale.
Speaking at the inquest his brother, Matthew said: “He left saying that he would see my parents at around tea time. They were contacted by police later afternoon that Shaun had died."
He added: “The family had no warning that Shaun would take his life. He was doing everything he could to try and survive.” The cause of death was determined as asphyxia and there was no alcohol or medication found during a toxicology report.
Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley recorded Shaun's death as suicide by hanging.
Speaking to the family, senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said that Shaun, his family and friends had done everything they could and that his death was due to an ‘impulsive’ decision made on that fateful night. She said: “As a family you couldn’t have done anything more, and Shaun couldn’t have done anything more.
“I hope you go away now and thinking of all the good things that you have talked about Shaun and try to think of all the positives you had with your son and brother.”
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