Todwick: Tragic story of retired policeman and loving Dad who took his own life

A retired policeman from Todwick took his own life, an inquest heard today (Wednesday 24th September).
Rotherham CourtRotherham Court
Rotherham Court

Drew Marriot, 55, of Kiveton Lane, was found hanging in his kitchen by a close friend on Monday 19th May.

The inquest, held at Rotherham Coroner’s Court, heard how Mr Marriot had retired as a police officer for South Yorks Police in 2010 and moved into a civilian role in the police intelligence department.

Mr Marriot then bought a derelict, listed house on Kiveton Lane which he had since been renovating.

He hoped to sell the house after it was completed and provide his daughter, who he was especially close to, with an inheritance.

But due to pension constraints in his new job, Mr Marriot had fallen into financial difficulty, revealing to certain friends that he ‘regretted’ buying the house.

Mr Marriot’s sister, Betty Dobing, sobbed as she told the court how she suspected Mr Marriot had been unhappy since his marriage broke down in 2007, and was ‘devastated’ when his ex-wife informed him she intended to move to a different city with her new husband and their daughter.

Mrs Dobing said: “Drew always put on a brave face- but I heard devastation in his voice when I spoke to him on the phone for the last time.”

“His daughter was his whole world. Family was everything to him. He told me he loved me before he hung up- it wasn’t unusual for him to say that, so I didn’t think anything bad would happen.”

Close friend Paul Green told the court how he had found Mr Marriot dead after receiving a text from him asking for a visit after work.

Mr Green said: “I didn’t register what I saw when I found him. I got hold of him, felt for a pulse- there wasn’t one. The paramedics arrived and I asked- is it really over?”

Coroner Nicola Mundie recorded a verdict of suicide by hanging, adding: “Mr Marriot clearly never recovered psychologically from his family breaking up.”

“On the surface he had a full and active life, but below the surface there were inner torments that he concealed from others.”