Illness drove caring son to kill himself

May 2 2008 by Laurie Stocks-Moore, Chester Chronicle

A DOTING son drove to Delamere Forest to take his own life after a short illness.

Kevin Charles Sacher, a single 42-year-old who lived with his adoptive mother, Doris, on Faulkner Street, Hoole, died after lighting a petrol can and breathing the fumes.

Mr Sacher, who worked for 26 years as an aircraft fitter at Airbus, Broughton, suffered from ulcerative colitis shortly before being discovered in the back seat of his silver Lexus by Delamere’s rangers on October 15 last year.

Mrs Sacher said: “He took over jobs his father used to do when my husband died. He was very, very helpful.”

Chester Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday that on June 21, Mr Sacher complained of feeling tired and washed out to a registrar and was signed off work for 10 days. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and put on a course of steroids.

By October, his health had improved but Mrs Sacher added: “The steroids were taking over. He was covered in spots and things.”

Mrs Sacher told of the last time she saw her son.

“He said goodnight to me, went a couple of steps up the stairs and came down again,” she added.

“He opened the door and said: ‘If you’re not up in the morning I’ll be going out to put petrol in the car so it’s ready for use’.”

When he did not return for lunch, Mrs Sacher made frantic phone calls before police arrived bearing the tragic news.

Delamere Forest ranger Robert Copsey was among staff working in the car park on October 15.

He said: “I noticed the car seemed to have very, very tinted windows and the front windscreen was really dark and the tax disc was curled up.”

Police later smashed a window with a crowbar, finding Kevin’s body inside.

During a post mortem examination, burn marks around his head, arms and hands and a 6cm laceration to the forehead caused by a hammer blow were noted.

Deputy coroner for Cheshire Dr Janet Napier said: “He obviously had deep disturbing thoughts brought on by this illness.”

She gave a verdict of death by inhalation of fumes and that he took his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed.