An inquest revealed that Harriet Belmore, 36, tragically took her own life merely four weeks after her teenage son, Charlie Belmore-Hawkes, 17, ended his life following a breakup with his girlfriend. Harriet was devastated by Charlie’s passing, which occurred on October 2nd last year, when he was discovered deceased in woodland near their residence. Despite overdosing on medication and alcohol five days after her son’s death, she consistently declined mental health treatment.
The laser aesthetics technician, who had expressed a desire to reunite with her son, was discovered hanging at her residence in Taverham, near Norwich, Norfolk, on October 31st. The heartbreaking narrative of their deaths unfolded during separate inquests, held just moments apart, at Norfolk Coroner’s Court in Norwich.
The inquest revealed that Harriet Belmore (pictured), a devastated mother aged 36, tragically ended her own life merely four weeks after her teenage son took his own life following a breakup with his girlfriend.
Her son, Charlie Belmore-Hawkes (pictured), aged 17, was discovered deceased in woodland near their residence on October 2nd of the previous year.
The inquest into Charlie’s death revealed that he had engaged in an argument with his girlfriend of three years just days before his passing. Detective Sergeant Matthew Hendry of Norfolk Police stated that the disagreement escalated after Charlie attended a music festival with an ex-girlfriend. During the argument, his girlfriend expressed a desire to take a break from their relationship. Charlie, who had recently begun working as an apprentice bricklayer, was discovered hanging in a wooded area off Eastfields in Taverham shortly thereafter.
Harriet Belmore, who had separated from Charlie’s father, informed the police afterward that she had never seen Charlie as depressed as he was following the argument. Detective Sergeant Hendry reported to Charlie’s inquest, stating, “Both sides of his family were loving, responsible people who clearly loved him very much. He was clearly struggling greatly with this matter, and his father and mother had not seen him this low before.”
Norfolk’s senior coroner, Jacqueline Lake, recorded a narrative conclusion, stating that Charlie had “taken his own life, but the evidence does not reveal his intentions at the time.”
In a separate hearing, it was revealed that Harriet Belmore had been admitted to accident and emergency at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on October 7 of the previous year after overdosing on medication and alcohol. Although hospital staff initially recommended a mental health assessment, it did not occur after Harriet expressed a desire to be discharged to a member of the mental health liaison team. She was then referred to the crisis team at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Despite a visit from the crisis team at her mother’s home on October 11, during which she reiterated her refusal to receive support, Harriet was discharged from crisis services two days later.
Laser aesthetics technician Ms. Belmore (pictured), who had expressed a desire to reunite with her son, was discovered hanging at her residence in Taverham, near Norwich, Norfolk, on October 31st.
Melissa Moss, a crisis nurse from NSFT, stated in a statement read to the court that Ms. Belmore had informed the team she was ‘fine’ and found offers of support ‘patronizing’. Ms. Moss then communicated with Ms. Belmore’s mother, Frances, and provided contact details for the team and other available support services.
Despite receiving CPR, Ms. Belmore was found unresponsive in her home on October 31st and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ms. Lake recorded a conclusion that Ms. Belmore had died by suicide, noting that she had self-discharged from the hospital on October 7th and had not engaged with mental health services or her GP. She continued to express concern about managing without her son and spoke of wanting to be with him again.
The inquest revealed that Ms. Belmore had maintained a positive relationship with the father of her son despite their split.
Both Ms. Belmore and her son’s cause of death was determined as hanging during the inquests.
Tragically, Ms. Belmore’s solicitor father, Michael Belmore, also met his end in 2007 when he drowned at the age of 53 while on holiday in Crete. He had established Belmores Solicitors in Norwich in 1981.
