Joy Dove was determined to fight for justice for her daughter Jodey Whiting, who took her own life aged 42 when she ‘lost hope’ after her mental health declined when her benefits were cut incorrectly
A campaigning mum won an eight-year fight for justice today after an inquest ruled benefits cut had led to her daughter’s tragic suicide.
Joy Dove refused to let Jodey Whiting, 42, die without her true cause of death being revealed. She was vindicated as a coroner found that the mental health of the mum-of-nine deteriorated when her benefits were stopped incorrectly by the Dept of Work and Pensions. She had ‘lost hope’ which led to her taking her own life after leaving notes for her family. For years Joy, 71, was championed by the Mirror and ‘Real Britain’ columnist Ros Wynn-Jones, who called for justice for Jodey.
Senior Coroner for Teesside Clare Bailey recorded a verdict of suicide due to a “deteriorating mental state” precipitated by the benefits decision She praised the family’s determined campaign to bring about justice, describing their “perseverance, resilience and dignity.”
Afterwards Joy, of Norton on Teesside, said: “I have always believed that Jodey took her life due to failings by the DWP. The coroner has confirmed that mistakes made by the DWP in the way they handled Jodey’s case caused her death.
“It should not have taken an eight-year fight for justice to get where we are today. It has been an uphill battle trying to get answers and accountability, but I would never give up. I was determined to keep fighting for justice for Jodey.
“This did not just happen to Jodey, it has happened to many others. Jodey’s death was not a one-off failing by the DWP, the way they have treated some of their most vulnerable claimants is absolutely disgraceful.”
The family’s solicitor Merry Varney, of Leigh Day, stressed the coroner had shown the importance of ‘thorough inquests that properly investigate how a death occurred’. Without them, the “dangerous and sometimes deadly way” that those unable to work due to ill health or disability are treated by the DWP “will remain covered up and unchecked,” she added.
Jodey was found dead on Feb 21, 2017, 15 days after being denied Employment Support Allowance (ESA) because she had been deemed ‘fit to work’. The DWP said it was “deeply regretful” after the inquest heard that the mum-of-nine, who had six grandchildren, “had lost hope” at the time of her death.
Teesside Coroner’s Court was told how in late 2016, Jodey missed a benefits assessment after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia. Doctors then discovered a cyst on her brain. After being discharged, a DWP letter was found in unopened mail at her flat asking why she had not attended a recent medical assessment.
Another letter then arrived four weeks later, on Feb 6, 2017, telling her she was “fit to work”. From that moment on, she struggled to cope and was ‘shocked, distressed and desperate’, the inquest heard.
Jodey had serious mental and physical problems. She had bipolar disorder and curvature of the spine. Joy demanded a second inquest after the original lasted just 37 minutes and ruled she had taken her own life.
The second inquest was granted after Joy went all the way to the Court of Appeal. Extracts from notes found alongside prescription drugs in her flat were read in court today. Bridget Dolan KC, coroner’s counsel, said: “She wrote about not being able to pay her bills and having no food. In some she wrote about feeling breathless and trying to pay her bills and being in debt.”
Another note stated: “I have had enough.” Her mum told the inquest: “Her death really impacted on me, and to learn of the number of failures by the DWP was a further deep shock that I have not recovered from.”
Her father Eric Whiting said in his tribute that Jodey was like the “Pied Piper” with children around her who adored her. He added: “She always saw the fun side of life until her health issues started.”
Jodey was increasingly housebound towards the end fof her life. She had a hospital stay in December 2016 after contracting pneumonia and that meant she missed a letter about her benefits, saying she needed to be medically assessed.
Joy reassured her daughter that she would help, telling the inquest: “I said, don’t you worry, we will explain how you have been in hospital and you are still convalescing.” But in January 2017, Jodey was told she had missed a medical assessment and was judged to be fit to work.
As well as losing her Employment and Support Allowance, she would also lose housing and council tax benefits. Joy said when she saw her daughter, two days before her death, she was “shaking and crying” and had threatened to kill herself. She was sure that the stress of losing her benefits was the trigger for her to decide to kill herself.
“I know my daughter and I know it was that,” she added. “It was the fact she couldn’t find a job, the worry of paying bills and being pushed out after being so vulnerable all those years.”
Helga Swidenbank, a DWP director for disability services, said they should have recognised that she had “good cause” not to attend a health assessment, given her illnesses and mental health concerns. She added: “I was not in post at the time but those who I have spoken to are deeply regretful and sorry about what happened. There were a number of opportunities to have picked up concerns about Jodey and we are very sorry about that.”
They were now more focused on people’s vulnerabilities, although this remained a “work in progress”. She added: “I understand that there is a culture shift to being much more compassionate. We are not there yet, we still have more work to do.”
Psychiatrist Dr Trevor Turner said losing her benefits was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”. Ms Bailey said: “Dr Turner says, and I accept, that withdrawal of her benefits would have had an acute and pervasive effect on Jodey’s mental state given her vulnerability and her emotional instability.”
The coroner added: “Her actions were in the context of her benefits having been wrongly withdrawn by the DWP in circumstances where there had been five missed opportunities to avoid the significant errors. This had the effect of negatively impacting upon her mental health, and was the trigger to her taking a fatal overdose.”