Builder, 60, killed himself after he cut his hand off and left it in the washing up bowl in his kitchen sink, inquest hears
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A builder killed himself by chopping off his hand and leaving it in a washing up bowl in the kitchen sink, an inquest heard.
Kevin Mayo was found by his partner on their garden patio when she got back from work alongside a note saying he ‘just can’t cope any more’.
The 60-year-old tragically died from blood loss from the ‘traumatic injury’ to his right hand on August 9 last year.
Despite the best efforts from emergency services, he was declared dead at his home in Chippenham, Wiltshire, that evening.
At Salisbury Coroner’s Court, senior coroner David Ridley today concluded a verdict of suicide.
The builder, 60, was found to have killed himself by cutting off his hand and leaving it in the kitchen sink, alongside the knives he used. Pictured: Salisbury Coroners Court
In a statement Mr Mayo’s partner, Stacey Thomas, said the two had known each other since the age of 16 but got back together when she returned to the area in late 2021.
Paying tribute to her ‘loving’ partner, she described him as a ‘cheeky man’ with a ‘sense of humour’ and someone who liked playing practical jokes.
The hearing was told Mr Mayo started working for a new building company who he ‘didn’t gel with’ due to the way he was spoken to by bosses.
Ms Thomas said she ‘noticed a change’ in his demeanour as he seemed ‘tired and depressed’.
She said he told her he was ‘struggling to keep up with the younger workers’ as an elderly builder, which acted as a contributing factor to his mental health getting ‘worse and worse’.
On August 9 last year, Ms Thomas went to work, leaving Mr Mayo at home.
Pictured: Salisbury Coroners Court, where the inquest of Kevin Mayo was heard today
He was due to have a visit from a mental health team, which she assumed was keeping him busy when there was no answer to her phone call during her lunch.
However, when she returned home and there was no greeting call from Mr Mayo, she saw him lying on the patio floor.
The court heard she initially thought he had ‘fallen and tripped’ before she saw the ‘traumatic injury to his hand’.
His hand was found with the knives used to ‘sever’ it in a washing up bowl in the sink, by police who attended the scene.
There was also a note left inside which said ‘I just can’t cope any more’ and another detailing issues with former relationships.
The hearing was told Mr Mayo had been in a community-based mental health care home shortly before his death after a failed suicide attempt.
He was later discharged because he said ‘on numerous occasions he wanted to go home’.
Mr Mayo was said to have suffered a ‘long history’ of poor mental health and worried about ‘work and finances’.
Mr Ridley said: 'What happened here was very unexpected.
'This was a very extreme act that he has taken and from the notes it seems he could just not see a way out of this.'
Concluding a verdict of suicide, he added: 'Kevin was found dead laying on the patio area at his home.
'He died from exsanguination having cut his right hand off at some point in the day, more likely than not in the morning.
'Kevin had mental health issues that more likely than not stemmed back to his childhood and his depression and anxiety were exacerbated by recent life stressors.'
He passed on his condolences to Mr Mayo’s family.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
