Jumat, 06 Juli 2012

The Officer and a Gentleman: Tragedy of new mother who took her life after becoming obsessed with hit movie

The Officer and a Gentleman: Tragedy of new mother who took her life after becoming obsessed with hit movie

  • Claire Peake, 39, had given birth to her baby girl just months beforehand
  • Partner Stuart Withnall found his partner dead when he was supposed to take her out for a Valentine's meal
  • She was 'fixated' by An Office and a Gentleman where an officer hangs himself in a motel, inquest hears

By Jaya Narain

PUBLISHED: 06:37 EST, 6 July 2012 | UPDATED: 17:56 EST, 6 July 2012


Tragic: Claire Peake, 39, was found hanged in her garage by her boyfriend, an inquest in Preston heard. She is pictured here at the Grand Canyon

Tragic: Claire Peake, 39, was found hanged in her garage by her boyfriend, an inquest in Preston heard. She is pictured here at the Grand Canyon

A mother killed herself after becoming 'fixated' on An Officer And A Gentleman â€" the Hollywood hit which features a harrowing suicide scene.

Claire Peake, 39, was found hanging in her garage by her partner Stuart Withnall on the evening they had been due to share a  Valentine's Day meal.

An inquest heard how the primary school teacher had become overwhelmed with the thought of juggling work and caring for her newborn daughter. Just weeks before her death, she watched the 1982 fil m, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger, with Mr Withnall.

He told the inquest she became obsessed with the film, in which Gere plays Zack Mayo, a US Navy aviation officer candidate. It has a scene in which his best friend hangs himself after being rejected by his girlfriend.

Mr Withnall told Preston Coroners Court: 'One night we watched An Officer and a Gentleman and I said, “That would be a horrible way to die” but she seemed fixated on the film.'

The court heard that she had suffered from depression for almost a decade which appeared to worsen after she gave birth to her daughter Georgia in September last year.

Mr Withnall, of Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, said she wanted to return to work full-time but was worried she wouldn't be able to cope with being both a mother and a teacher.

He said they decided she should return to work part-time.

Following an interview she was offered a one-day-a-week job. However, the court was told she considered herself a failure if she did not return to work full-time.

Mr Withnall said: 'I would look at her and she would look like she was slipping into a really anxious world. It was getting worse and worse. I was worried.

'She never explicitly said that she was going to take her own life. In my mind I didn't realise what she was saying until she actually died and I realised she was going.'

He described Miss Peake as a 'fantastic teacher' with a loving family.

Miss Peake's friend, Laura Rhodes, told the court that her friend hadn't alerted doctors to the severity of her depression because she feared they would take her baby away from her.

She added: 'She felt that she was unable to go back to work full-time because she felt as though she couldn't cope and felt like she'd failed.'

The court heard how Miss Peake had been given anti-depressants on and off since 2004.

Movie love split: Officer Candidate Sid Worley with girlfriend Lynette Pomeroy who rejects him

Movie love split: Officer Candidate Sid Worley with girlfriend Lynette Pomeroy who rejects him

She stopped taking medication while pregnant but started taking it again in December. Two days before her death her dosage was increased after she visited her GP in a tearful and distressed state.

Following her death, a note was found her in pocket in which she said she was having 'dreadful thoughts'. Recording a verdict of suicide, Coroner Dr James Adeley said: 'The evidence paints a picture of a young woman clearly very troubled.

'She was a loving parent with a newborn baby to whom she was quite clearly devoted.

'What Claire did on this day, she had the intention to take her own life. I am very conscious of the fact that Georgia has no mother and that is a tragedy.'

Famous film: Richard Gere and David Keith, right, who plays Sid in An Officer and a Gentleman. Sid hangs himself in a motel shower cubicle after being rejected by his girlfriend

Famous film: Richard Gere and David Keith, right, who plays Sid in An Officer and a Gentleman. Sid hangs himself in a motel shower cubicle after being rejected by his girlfriend

  • For confidential support on suicide matters call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details

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So sad , my heart goes out to her family and hope she is now at rest

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R.I.P... Was a tragedy... Still missed by all at Stanley primary school xXx

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I went through a dark tunnel once in my life but my faith in Christ got me through that. Depression can not be healed by humans. It is way beyond our ability to handle. I know from experience. But my faith in my Rock made me the person I am today. I feel sad for this woman. I hope her family will have the strength to move on in life. God bless them. - Name and address withheld , .....................................?!!, 6/7/2012 16:20 I have no idea why you have so many red arrows.. I feel very sorry for the woman who committed suicide it's awful, I myself am not a very religious person but I do understand that many people do find comfort in praying and if they feel that helps them people should not mock.

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So sad, I am pregnant too and this worries me also

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A woman with a history of depression BUT she was educated and my experience of the system is that if you are perceived as middle class the safety net is just not there. I had the same experience; mother with depression, history of problems but after my son was 3 months old no-one came near me. I moved house and could have done anything with my son no-one seemed to care, the assigned health visitor came no where near me.

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So much pressure on women :( the system does not make it easy. We are damned if we have children tbh. No wonder she was driven to this. She sounds like she wanted to please everyone but herself :( and it just wasn't feasible. Sheer desperation :( a cry for help gone wrong.

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My mum suffered from depression from when I was a baby. When I was 5 she told me she would kill herself, but she never actually did it. A few years ago a new GP had her admitted to a clinic. They tried several different medications, and she had a mental health worker who came out and talked to her when she came home. They chopped and changed the medication, then she got one which which really worked for her and has been stable ever since. Another GP recently tried to get her to try a differnt medication as hers is expensive. All I can say is it works for her, so is worth every peny if it keeps her at home living a normal life. Surely just one 6 week admission to a unit would cost more than the cheaper drugs?

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How very very sad that things get so out of hand that you are driven to kill yourself when all you get is one chance at life, sad for those that she left,

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Where was the help for this poor lady? There should be more support for working mothers with children who have to go back to work shortly after having a baby becasue they have no choice. Sick of the benefits culture which allows women to sit at home with their baby and having one after another without the worry of paying bills or a mortgage.

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Postnatal depression at its worst , how sad no one realised stepped in to help . R.I.P Clair ,

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