Hampshire Man Took His Life Over Environment Fears

11 September 2013, 09:46 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

An inquest's heard how a Hampshire man took his own life because he was so worried about humans destroying the planet.

The body of 22-year-old David Ellett, from Titchfield Common near Fareham, was found by a dog walker on the beach at Stokes Bay, Gosport, on Christmas Eve 2012.

The inquest at Portsmouth heard that Mr Ellett, who worked as a cashier at a local supermarket, left several notes expressing his concerns about "how wrong things were with the world''.

Pc David Tulip, of Hampshire police, said:

"The deceased had an obsession with recycling, he would buy the out-of-date food and give it to the birds, he hated the world and the way it is. For example, he didn't like cars because they pollute.''

His father, Paul Ellett, said:

"He had two sides to him. We could never understand him all his life, he was a little bit different to everybody else, he had his set views.

"He was always getting bread and bits out of the bins at work and he would go to the forests and give it to the birds.''

The inquest heard that Mr Ellett had previously attempted to commit suicide in June 2011 and had been diagnosed as possibly suffering from Asperger syndrome.

The hearing was told that in the run-up to this incident, Mr Ellett had become obsessed by concerns about flooding.

He had told doctors that "he wanted to die because he had no hope in the world because of pollution and waste and environmental disasters.''

Mr Ellett said that his son, who raised funds for international development charity Plan International UK, had other obsessions including spending £700 of inheritance money in one month on lottery tickets.

He said:

"It was not because he wanted to win, he said it's going to good causes. He put some money each month to charity, he was a very kind and good-hearted boy.''

He also told the inquest that a few months before his death, he had taken his son to the GP because he was burping a lot, caused by him drinking up to eight litres of water each day which he consumed because he believed it gave him energy.

Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Coroner David Horsley recorded a verdict that Mr Ellett took his own life while suffering from a long-term psychiatric illness.

He told his family: "It was a shame he had been dogged by this for all his life. I feel so sorry for him and for you to see him going through that.''

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Ellett said: "It's very sad.''