The heartbroken mother of a teenager who hanged himself
over false rape allegations has now taken her own life in the same way shortly
after the anniversary of his death.
The family of grief-stricken Karin Cheshire, 55, revealed
she couldn't see a future without her son Jay, whose body was found in a park
near their family home.
The mother-of-two was desperate to investigate the
allegations against her 17-year-old son because she believed police mishandled
the situation.
But she fell into a deep depression and her brother Simon
Cheshire, 58, said his distraught sister simply couldn't see a future without
her son.
An inquest into her death opened this week and heard she
died on July 18 in the same way as her son - asphyxiation as a result of
hanging.
Neighbours entered her home in Southampton, Hampshire,
after becoming worried when they had not heard from her or seen her walk her
pet Shih Tzu. They discovered her body in the three bedroom family home.
Now her devastated family are seeking answers from the girl
who accused Jay of raping her, and want to hear the girl's mother's side of the
story as well.
Ms Cheshire was due to move out of the rented house into
a smaller one bedroom flat, and relatives had helped her clear out the memories
left behind by Jay.
She leaves behind her daughter Camellia, 21, who is said
to be 'numb' at losing a second close family member in the space of 12 months.
Simon, a father of three, said: 'I now think Karin had
been preparing for this, as we've been clearing out her house for the past
three months.
'It came to the anniversary of Jay's death and, sadly,
although I almost expected her to do something, I'm shocked she actually took
her life in the same fashion.
'She just couldn't see a future without Jay.'
He said the whole family have not got over Jay's death,
who died at Southampton General Hospital, on July 5 last year, two days after
he was found hanging in a park.
Ms Cheshire spoke out after his death, revealing she had
to make the heart-wrenching decision to switch off his life support.
Speaking last October following Jay's inquest at
Winchester Crown Court she said: 'The rape allegation was the main reason he
killed himself.
'I was very close to my son. He was a huggy type of lad.
He was like me, he hid a lot of his pain.
'I'm quite sure he was called a rapist a number of times
but he did not tell me.
'She accused him of rape and said he was a sexual
offender. He was absolutely distraught. Two weeks later she said she withdrew
the allegations.
'He was a wonderful young man with a great love of
history.'
She added: 'I switched his life support off. If I have to
think about it I will cry. It's the worst thing a mum could have to do. It was
traumatic.
'My last conversation with my son before he left home
went, 'I love you mum, I love you Jay'.'
Her brother said she fell into a deep depression and
turned down offers of family support, instead seeking support from others
sharing a common grief.
She turned to close friend and neighbour Theresa Beddoe,
who found Ms Cheshire's body last week.
Simon, a driver for BlueStar bus company, said he last
saw his sister on July 1, shortly before the anniversary of Jay's death, and
described Karin as looking 'vacant' and 'zombie-like'.
Referring back to Jay's death, he said: 'We think the
allegations tipped him over the edge.
'He was a well-loved student, who was bright and caring,
and for him to do something like that just didn't make sense.
'Karin wanted to pursue an inquiry because it was really
badly mishandled by the police - the allegations went on for weeks before Jay
was told there was no evidence.
'How can these allegations have been made?'
His inquest heard he was 'absolutely distraught' at the
accusations, which were withdrawn after he was voluntarily interviewed by
police.
Simon added: 'I saw Karin a couple of weeks before,
around the anniversary of Jay's death, and she seemed vacant and zombie-like.
'She used to be so different, she was just a really,
really intelligent woman who probably could have written books - she even kept
a diary for 40 years.
'But what happened to Jay just finished her off and she
never recovered.
'The whole thing is just so tragic, and I do feel anger
with the girl. I would really like to meet her and hear her side of the story.'
Camellia has been left to arrange funeral plans with
Simon's mother and stepfather.
Neighbours today described Karin appearing frail before
her death.
One said: 'She just never got over Jay's death. She
changed from being a chatty neighbour to someone who would be so isolated.
'I was very surprised by Jay's death, but sadly I wasn't
so surprised by Karin's.
'My husband saw Camellia last week and she just said to
us that she was numb.
'The poor family - they are barely getting over what
happened last year. I just think it's terribly sad - Jay was so young, how
could he have known what he was doing?'
Jay was a sixth form student at Bitterne Park School in
Southampton studying English Literature, Film Studies and Geography - and hoped
to become a history teacher or a writer.
The inquest, held in September last year, heard he had a
history of having a low mood, was put on anti-depressants and was due to
undergo cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).
When police arrived at the scene where he hanged himself,
they found Jay had left a note.
Jay also left a note for his family and one in his sixth
form locker.
Central Hampshire senior coroner Grahame Short recorded a
verdict of suicide and said he struggled to cope with the false accusations and
the investigation.
He said: 'He was a sensitive young man and vulnerable in
some respects and he found it difficult to cope with the police investigation.'
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