A MOTHER with severe postnatal depression who killed herself by stepping in front of a train was not neglected by the local health service, a coroner has said.

The inquest into the death of Fartown mother Joanne Bingley, 39, ended yesterday and the verdict left Mrs Bingley’s widower Chris Bingley disappointed and upset.

He said afterwards there had been “horrendous failings” and that his wife had been “badly let down by the NHS organisation she worked for”.

Mr Bingley, of Fartown, had hoped that Coroner Paul Marks would find that the local NHS could be blamed for the neglect and lack of care of his wife in the lead up to her death.

He believes Mrs Bingley was not given the right support and treatment for her severe postnatal depression (PND) and should have been offered care in a hospital three days before her death.

An investigation was undertaken into the treatment Mrs Bingley received from the Calderdale and Huddersfield Foundation Trust, the South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust and Kirklees Community Health Care Trust and the evidence was presented to the inquest.

After hearing evidence over three days the coroner said he could not attribute any “neglect” to Mrs Bingley’s treatment.

He recorded a narrative verdict, saying that Mrs Bingley had stepped in front of the train intentionally as a result of her illness and that she had intended to take her own life.

It was in April last year that Mrs Bingley – known as Joe – killed herself by walking in front of a train near to Deighton Railway Station.

It was just 10 weeks after the birth of her “miracle” daughter Emily.

She and Mr Bingley had been “over-the-moon” when Emily was born after years of trying to get pregnant.

But Mrs Bingley, a nurse, soon developed PND – and had serious problems bonding with her newborn baby.

In a statement read out at the inquest yesterday train driver James Lees told how he had seen Mrs Bingley step in front of the train at the last moment.

He tried to break and sound the horn but he could not stop the train in time.

The train driver is now off work suffering from the after effects of witnessing the tragic incident.

The coroner said Joe’s family – including parents Christine and Sam Smith from Mirfield – had acted with dignity throughout the proceedings.

After the inquest, Šhusband Mr Bingley said: “I am exceedingly grateful for the support of Joe’s family and that of our friends whose support is ensuring my daughter is enjoying a happy and wonderful childhood. Joe was a dedicated, caring nursing professional who touched the lives of hundreds of people, many of whom attended her funeral and to whom I was unable to explain the horrors she had suffered.

“Joe touched our hearts and our lives, making everyone who met her or knew her better people.

“And I was so lucky to be one of two men Joe loved in her life, along with her father Sam.

“There has to be a legacy that Joe leaves behind that is both positive and reflects the warmth and love for life she shared with us all.

“For the sake of our daughter, I hope the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation I have established will create such a legacy by providing support to others and by making a difference to the future provision of perinatal mental health care.”