A West Bridgford man and lifelong Forest fan described as a ‘lovely lad’ and ‘sociable character’ took his own life after struggling with mental health problems, an inquest ruled.
Jamie Gibson, 34, died on March 1, leading to touching tributes including a minute’s applause at the City Ground on March 7.
Friend Adam Hayes organised the honour on social media, creating the hashtag ‘#OurJamie’ on Twitter, and other friends and relatives have also been raising money for charity in his memory.
On Tuesday (June 13) Assistant Coroner Ivan Cartwight held an inquest at Nottingham Council House to try to establish how Mr Gibson died.
The hearing was told Notts Police were called to reports of an incident at an address in West Bridgford and forced their way in just after 2.30pm on Wednesday, March 1.
Mr Gibson’s body was found in the bathroom and police discovered a note pad with writing in the property, believed to have been written at a time ‘approximate’ to Jamie’s death.
Mr Cartwight said although it was “likely that Jamie had passed away by the time officers had gained entry” he was officially pronounced dead after being taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre. A post-mortem examination held on March 24 found he died of severe blood loss.
Mr Cartwight said notes left by Mr Gibson suggested he “had not felt well for months and years” and suffered from “social anxiety”.
In the 10 days before his death, his mood had been ‘up and down’ the court was told.
Detective Constable Kate Fisher gave evidence at the hearing, saying Mr Gibson “walked out of his job” on February 8.
Jamie’s mum Evelyn also spoke and said he quit because “he had too much on his mind” and “couldn’t put 100 per cent into his job”.
The inquest was told Jamie had money in the bank and had attended a job interview the Friday before he died on February 24.
On the day of his death, Mr Gibson went to Virgin Active gym and left at 11.20am. He then had planned to meet his most recent partner for lunch at noon and take some clothes to a charity shop, but did not make the meeting after getting a text message from a former partner about child support payments.
Mrs Gibson said her son was a ‘lovely lad’ who had raised money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The disease affected his dad Eric, who died in 2011.
She said: “He was quite a sociable character. If you met him for the first time he would be your friend.”
She said he had studied for a psychology degree and was able to analyse his emotions, adding: “He suppressed a lot of things – he tucked them down the side.
“He hid things from me and his family. He had relationships with girls and things like that. He had quite a lot of friends – he did not stay in at all.”
Mr Cartwight said Mr Gibson died of self-inflicted injuries and he “must have intended to do what he did”, recording a conclusion of suicide.
The post mortem examination found a low concentration of a recent intake of cocaine in his blood, and Mr Cartwright said the withdrawal effects, which can cause anxiety, “may have increased the risk of suicidal behaviour”.
But he added it was impossible to suggest there was a ‘direct link’ between Mr Gibson’s drug consumption and his death.
Friends and relatives have been raising money for Mind, the mental health charity, since the tragedy.
More information and support about mental health is available on the charity’s website, or by calling the organisation on 0300 123 3393.
The Samaritans also run a free 24-hour phone line on 116 123 for people experiencing a range of problems, and also has a website with further details.