BBC actor hanged himself because he was jobless during lockdown

An actor, Luke Westlake, 26, who appeared in BBC crime drama 'Luther' alongside Idris Elba hanged himself while out of work during the first Covid-19 lockdown, an inquest into his death has heard.

After graduating from one of the UK’s top drama schools in 2017, the actor went on to appear in Luther and BBC dramas Doctors and No Offence.

But an inquest heard today, January 29 revealed that during the first national lockdown in 2020, the actor was stressed about being out of work and was suffering from a long distance relationship breakdown.

Luke tried to take his own life in April and again in June, the assistant coroner heard.

Just over a week after the first attempt in June, Luke messaged his ex-girlfriend,

Hannah Llewelyn.

In the text he threatened to kill himself.

On the morning of June 18, he was found dead.

The cause of death was concluded as hanging following a post mortem examination, and a toxicologist discovered a substantial amount of THC in Luke’s body, a sign he took a lot of marijuana.

The inquest revealed that Luke was seeking therapy for childhood abuse, in the weeks leading to his death.

His request for therapy was denied as the therapist first wanted to first deal with his drug and alcohol issues.

Appearing via video link, Dr John Pimm, a clinical lead for Oxford Health NHS foundation trust said: “If someone is using, it will be very problematic for them to have that treatment.

“You should try to deal with the drug and alcohol problem and stabilise it for a reasonable amount of time. The key issue is that in trauma therapy, you will delve into very distressing things from someone’s past - in order to do that they need to be in a really good place. If you have not done the pre-work it is very risky, it is like going into surgery without the pre work.”

Assistant Coroner Michael Walsh, concluded the inquest with a verdict of suicide.

He said: "Luke was aged 26 years at the time of his death. He had a history of anxiety and depression and substantial misuse by way of alcohol and cannabis, used as a coping mechanism."

Comments

Alleged Lagos deadly cult leader "okoko danger" arrested

The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested a suspected leader of the Aiye confraternity, a secret cult group in the state, who it identified simply as Shola. The suspect was said to be widely known in cult circles in the Mile 2-Badagry expressway axis as Okoko Danger. The Command announced it also arrested four other suspected members of the dreaded gang, namely Idris Musa, 19; Oluwaseyi Oguntobi, 23; Ramon Adebimpe, 18; and Saheed Kareem, 19. The police alleged that Shola, who they described as “’a deadly and notorious armed robber”, was behind the many killings in the Okokomaiko, Igando, Isheri-Osun and Ikotun areas of the state. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, told journalists yesterday at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, that on February 27, 2020 at about 4.20pm, police operatives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, acting on credible intelligence, stormed a hideout at Iyana-Iba, where Shola and his gang members were said to be hibernating. “Four l

Lekki Tollgate incident can be equated to a mas*acre — Lagos ENDSARS Panel

The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Ab*ses and Other Matters (Lagos EndSARS Panel) has reported the Lekki Tollgate sh*otings of October 20, 2020, as a mas*acre. The panel indicted soldiers and implicated Nigeria’s security agents in the k*lling and forced disappearances of harmless and unarmed youths protesting at Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020. The Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel made the revelation in a 309-page report submitted to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Monday, November 14. According to the report, nine protesters were confirmed d*ad while four others were presumed d*ad. The report listed 48 names as those who were casualties of the Lekki incident. Among the 48 casualties listed, 24 sustained g*nshot injuries, while 15 others were as*aulted by soldiers and police. “At the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army sh*t, injured and k*lled unarmed helpless and defenseless protesters, with

EFCC releases Obi Cubana after three nights in custody

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has finally released businessman Obi Cubana. He was arrested and taken to the headquarters of the anti-graft agency, Jabi, Abuja, on Monday, November 1, following allegations of money laundering and tax fr*ud. He was, however, released on Thursday evening, November 4, after he had spent three days in detention undergoing interrogations. According to the spokesman of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the release to reporters on Thursday night, Cubana was allowed to go after the crack detectives of the commission completed their questioning.

Laie.Tv

Search This Blog