Child star killed himself two days after being let out of ward where he threatened suicide

A child star who shot to fame in the world’s first choir boy band took his own life two days after being let out of the ward where he threatened to commit suicide, an inquest heard. Patrick Aspbury, 23, was undergoing treatment for schizophrenia when he died after jumping in front of a train at Chelmsford station in April.

2005, he joined the three-piece boy band The Choirboys aged 12, and was mentored by ex-choir boy star Aled Jones. A jury was told how Patrick had been an inpatient of a mental health ward at the Linden Centre, in Chelmsford, Essex.

On the day he died, Patrick was allowed out on leave from the ward, the inquest heard.

He caught a bus from The Blue Lion pub in Great Baddow, Essex, before getting off at the station where he bought a ticket to Witham at around 3.20pm. During the inquest jurors were played CCTV footage which showed Patrick sitting down for a short while before jumping into the path of the train.

The court heard how the driver of the train applied the emergency brake, but was travelling at 60mph and was unable to stop it in time.

The jury was told how Patrick had made comments about jumping in front of a train during an open therapy session only two days before being allowed to leave. Several members of staff from the Linden Centre attended the inquest to give evidence.

Jonathan Ficken, an occupational therapist, said he had spoken with Patrick about his suicidal comments during a walk. Mr Ficken said Patrick claimed he made the comments to shock people and was upset about having to take medication.

Linden Centre psychiatrist Dr Flechtner told the court that Patrick had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that he had found this diagnosis hard to accept.

 

Dr Flechtner testified that the plan was to move Patrick into supported housing and that Patrick never seemed at risk of self-harm or of suicide. Patrick’s father, Peter Aspbury, also gave evidence during the hearing.

Mr Aspbury told the court how Patrick’s increasingly difficult behaviour led to him being sectioned five times from 2014 until his death. Mr Aspbury also criticised the ‘sleepiness’ of the Linden Centre, stating his son was ‘bored’ and that there were some staff members who were just ‘doing a job’.

He suggested there should be a ‘patient champion’ to ensure patients are taken into consideration when decisions about their care are taken.

When Mr Aspbury picked Patrick up from the centre on the day of his death, he described his son as in ‘a constant state of worry’ and said he was not forthcoming at all. Several hours after picking his son up, Patrick left his father’s house and headed to Chelmsford station.

The jury at Essex Coroners’ Court returned the verdict that Patrick had committed suicide. Police are investigating the NHS trust which runs the centre where Patrick was being treated following the deaths of 25 patients, it emerged yesterday. The deaths at nine different mental health units run by North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation date back to 2000.

Detectives began investigating after Matthew Leahy’s death at the Linden Centre in 2012 – the same centre where Patrick was an inpatient. The 20-year-old was found hanging at the Chelmsford mental health unit. A Care Quality Commission report in 2015 found there were too many places where patients could hang themselves.