Longwood man who killed his mum laughed as he jumped off Halifax's North Bridge to his death

Mar 19 2010 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

His father Charles Dawson asked at the inquest: “How can a person who committed the horrendous thing that Stewart did and end up in a hospital for the criminally insane be allowed to dictate and say he’s not going to attend meetings?

“When you went to his house there were signs that he had gone back into how he was – there were religious things, quotes from the Bible all over the place.

“It was like he was then (in 1994).”

Both Dr Hargreaves and Gary Ward, a community psychiatric nurse, said they had to work within the guidelines.

The nurse had not visited him at his home since late 2008.

Charles Dawson added that his son had recently separated from a Czech woman. He had previously told his son he had to tell his girlfriend about his history but he refused and they were estranged at the time of his death.

His father added: “Thinking about it logically, if somebody throws themselves off a flyover they intend to do serious harm.”

But when the coroner asked if Mr Dawson was of the mind to know the consequences of such a decision, he replied: “He was into these religious, cult things.

“He was told to do it (in 1994) and I don’t know if he realised the seriousness of it then (last year).”

Coroner Roger Whittaker said: “Bearing in mind the way in which he appeared to be laughing and the lack of medication found in his body I have to reach the conclusion that he intended to take his own life, adding to that he did so while the balance of his mind was disturbed”.