A young woman left devastated by the loss of her mum to Covid-19 tragically died from complications of a suicide attempt made several months before. Sharleen Cable, known as Charley, excelled as a pupil at St Mary's school and was described by her dad as 'happy and bubbly'.
However, following her mum's sudden death from Covid in April 2020, she struggled to cope and started suffering from severe mental health issues. Later that same year on August 16, she ingested a toxic product and ended up in and out of hospital for several months, Hull Live reports.
Sharleen was eventually discharged in February 2021, but a few weeks later suffered a gastric haemorrhage and sadly died in Hull Royal Infirmary on March 11, 2021. She was just 27 years old.
On Thursday, an inquest into her death was held in Hull, during which a statement was read out by her heartbroken dad Barry Cable. He explained how Sharleen had grown up with her parents and two siblings at their home in Hull.
He said: “She was a happy little girl, bubbly and laughing all the time. She had a normal childhood. She had a good school life but she spent most of her spare time indoors and did not have many friends. Sharleen went to St Mary’s School where she got top grades. She was a smart young lady and never got into trouble.”
However, her mum struggled with mental health issues, which Sharleen was very aware of. She decided against going to university, at which point she started to withdraw and spent much of her time alone in her room aged 19-20.
She later developed an eating disorder and lost a significant amount of weight. Charleen was also known to self-harm and started overdosing. At around 24-year-old, she left home and was placed in supported accommodation by the mental health team.
She stayed at Welcome Care, a specialist service run by East Yorkshire Mind that provides emotional support, help with domestic chores, support with financial management and property maintenance. They also helped Sharleen access other agencies to help with her mental health and medical care.
The arrangement worked well until her mum contracted Covid-19 and sadly died in April 2020. The tragedy triggered a deterioration in her mental health as she struggled to cope with the loss of her mum. Mr Cable said: “Sharleen took it really hard.”
While living in a flat within Wellington Care in Hymers Avenue, Sharleen ingested a toxic product and was rushed to hospital, where she stayed for much of the next several months. Mr Cable said: “When Sharleen came out of hospital in February 2021 she was all skin and bone. She was constantly throwing up.”
Michelle Grainger, general manager at Wellington Care, also attended the inquest to give evidence. She said all residents at Wellington are vulnerable, but they have the capacity to live independently.
Ms Grainger said the centre does not provide care, but support and guidance. She said: “Sharleen had become withdrawn since the death of her mum and would not always engage with people. Her self-harming increased when she was struggling.”
Ms Grainger explained that a package addressed to Sharleen arrived on Friday, August 14, 2020. It had a label warning that the contents were dangerous to the environment and another client had also told staff that Sharleen had said she intended to commit suicide by ingesting the contents.
The decision was made to withhold the package from Sharleen over concerns it may be used to self-harm. Ms Grainger continued: “Sharleen would sometimes have products surrendered or she would surrender them herself.
"She admitted she had impulses which could put her at risk. The products would only be returned when she was more stable. She seemed particularly distressed that day. She was upset the package had been withheld."
Holly Upton, the senior support worker on duty the next day (Saturday, August 15), said Sharleen had asked for the package the next morning, but she refused. Ms Upton said: “I told Sharleen she could use the products if she would not harm herself but she admitted she could act on impulse. She had been in decline having struggled with the death of her mother.
“I called the mental health response service who said I shouldn’t withhold the item if she has capacity but we also have a policy to do so if there is a risk of self-harm. I spent a lot of time with her that day carrying out activities to try and distract her.”
However, Sharleen then went with a friend to Tesco to buy more of the products later that day. Kimberley Jackson was on night duty on the Saturday into Sunday and explained the events of that night.
In a statement she said: “Sharleen was my favourite client. It was difficult to get her to engage until she got to know you. She loved the television show CSI which was her favourite. She also had a dog called Princess who she was obsessed with. It was her life.”
Ms Jackson said she was worried about Sharleen, especially after not seeing her at all that evening. She said: “That evening I didn’t see her come out for a smoke which was very unusual. I felt something was not right. I went to her flat but there was no answer. The door was unlocked so I went in and I saw the bathroom door was closed.
“I shouted if she was okay and Sharleen told me to go away. But I was concerned and went in and saw her on the floor with a bottle of product."
Ms Jackson confiscated the bottle which angered Sharleen, who said she had “ruined everything”. She went with Sharleen for a smoke then stayed with her in the office until she managed to calm her down and took her back to bed.
Stephanie Christmas, team leader at Wellington Care, was on duty during the day on the Sunday. She was told what happened with Sharleen the night before during the handover meeting.
Mrs Christmas told the inquest that products had been confiscated from Sharleen on more than one occasion. She said that Sharleen was still upset about the product being taken away and asked for it to be returned. After carrying out a 20-minute assessment, Ms Christmas gave the item back to her.
She said: “I felt that Sharleen was stable and normal I felt it was safe for her to having the cleaning product back. You have to give them their independence and show them trust.”
Mrs Christmas did not stay with Sharleen while she was cleaning, but had planned to she carry out checks on her roughly every five minutes. However, she then heard Sharleen coughing and retching. After realising she must have ingested the product, she laid her on the floor and called for an ambulance.
The post mortem report stated that Sharleen's death was the result of a gastric intestinal haemorrhage caused by the complications of ingesting the fluid several months before, which caused damage to the oesophagus and lungs. Sharleen had spent several months in hospital and undergone a number of surgeries to try and repair the damage. However, she suffered a major setback in March which led to a haemorrhage. She passed away on March 11, 2021.
Area coroner Lorraine Harris said she she felt staff at Wellington Care had acted appropriately during Sharleen’s time at the facility, but raised questions about why the products were given back to Sharleen after she claimed she wanted to ingest poison to end her life.
She said: “I am satisfied staff had a good working relationship with Sharleen and had a good understanding of her complex needs. But what I would ask Wellington Care if whether they could put in their house rules a policy to search residents if they have concerns.
“I am satisfied Ms Jackson acted appropriately that night when she found Sharleen in the bathroom. While she could have contacted the mental health response team, she managed to deal with it appropriately and stayed with Sharleen for a long time.
“I also find the policy of withholding items from vulnerable residents is appropriate. But there was an issue regarding whether it is legal and staff should be given training to clarify this.
“I also find the products were returned to Sharleen in good faith by Mrs Christmas after an assessment. Items had been returned to Sharleen in the past without any adverse use.”
Mrs Harris had considered delivering a narrative conclusion but says that Sharleen had indicated at hospital that she had ingested the product with the intention of ending her life, rather than just self-harm. She therefore ruled Sharleen’s death as ‘suicide’.
She said: “One thing that that has been really apparent throughout this absolutely tragic set of circumstances is that people loved and cared for Sharleen. Everybody who dealt with her loved and cared for her. My condolences go out to Sharleen’s family, friends and everyone who knew and loved her.”
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