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Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Graham Thorpe asked his wife to help him end his life after his mental health 'spiralled' following Covid lockdowns and being sacked from his England coaching job, inquest hears
England cricket legend Graham Thorpe's mental health was 'spiralling down' after a combination of Covid lockdowns and being sacked from the English Cricket Board (ECB), his heartbroken widow said today. Amanda Thorpe described how the Surrey lefthander begged her to help him to die as he struggled to cope with anxiety and depression. He attempted to take his own life in a hotel in 2022, after losing his coaching job with the ECB after a video involving the England Ashes players on tour in Australia – which Thorpe filmed – was leaked. The former Surrey lefthander, who dazzled with the bat during a glittering career for club and country, was killed when he was struck by a train near his home on August 4 last year. He was 55 years old. Mrs Thorpe told her husband's inquest in Woking: 'He asked me to help him end his life. 'He said he wants to go to Switzerland. I was in turmoil. 'Then we get a letter for an appointment (with the medical team) in a month's time. 'How ill do you have to be?' Thorpe's wife, his father Geoff, and brothers Alan and Ian were all present for the hearing. Addressing them, assistant coroner Jonathan Stevens said: 'I appreciate this is an incredibly difficult time for you as a family.' The coroner, referring to Mrs Thorpe's witness statement, described how 'up until the time of Covid there were no psychological issues'. He said: 'You explain Graham found lockdown and Covid very difficult, very stressful for him.' Mrs Thorpe said: 'Up until 2020, no there wasnt anything in particular. 'Maybe in 2018 he had a bout of depression but he got through that, it didn't affect his job.' Thorpe's father Geoff, 83, agreed, adding: 'Everything was fine until Covid.' He told the inquest: 'What you've got to realise is sometimes us chaps are a little bit macho – we can cope. 'In fact, we can't.' Referring to the Covid restrictions, he said: 'He's not a fella who likes to be couped up.' Mr Thorpe senior described how his son's 'life came crashing down' when he lost his job with the ECB. The coroner described how Thorpe 'had his ups and downs with stress and anxiety' in 2021, but then there was the prospect of the Ashes tour in 2021/2 where the Covid restrictions in Australia were much stricter than in the UK. Referring to Mrs Thorpe's statement, he said: 'You say the environment of Covid was not good for him, would make his psychological condition worse. 'You mention on that Tour there was an incident involving a video that was taken that drew a lot of adverse publicity. 'You make the observation that he shouldn't have been allowed to go to Australia, and it was inevitable there was going to be a deterioration in his mental health.' Mrs Thorpe said: 'Thinking about it, because he went on that Tour, he was dismissed. 'If he hadn't been on that Tour, then he wouldn't be dismissed and that was ultimately what he couldn't deal with.' The coroner said Thorpe tried to take his own life with a cocktail of medication and alcohol in the middle of 2022. He said: 'Things continued to go downhill, he was really struggling, had anxiety and insomnia and it was all really dark.' Thorpe spent three weeks unconscious in hospital after the suicide attempt. He suffered a stroke, and was in intensive care for five weeks. He went to a private hospital, paid for by the ECB, but his mental health did not improve. He was offered a coaching role with the Afghanistan national team but could not go because of his mental health issues. Mrs Thorpe told the inquest: 'He tried to do it but he was spiralling down. 'He signed a contract and I had to tell them he was too unwell to do that job.' Thorpe tried various types of therapy including electro-compulsive therapy, but that 'didn't seem to work', the inquest heard. He made repeated threats to kill himself, including throwing himself in front of a train, his father said. Mrs Thorpe said: 'He told me he was scared, and I told him I was scared too because I didn't know how to help him.' By June 2024, Thorpe 'had no interest in food, he wanted to hide away, totally isolated, in real crisis and despair', the inquest heard. The coroner described how Thorpe left the family home on the morning of August 4 2024 and was not seen alive again. Referring to Mrs Thorpe's witness statement, he said: 'You had been upstairs on the phone and Graham had gone out. 'You thought he had gone to walk the dog but then you saw the dog. 'You tried to locate him using your phone but weren't able to do that. 'Then you got a call from Geoff telling you: he's gone.' Mrs Thorpe said: 'He never really recovered from (his first suicide) attempt. 'He came back from the tour of Australia in a terrible state - lots of things, the video, the environment, the set-up. 'To be sacked after that I think it was foreseeable that it would be really really hard on him. 'The weeks leading up to his death, he told me he doesn't want to be here any more. 'He asked me to help him end his life. 'He said he wants to go to Switzerland. I was in turmoil. 'Then we get a letter for an appointment (with the medical team) in a month's time. 'How ill do you have to be? I just wish he could have been kept safe. If you're not here, there's no hope.' The father-of-four was considered a talisman for England, and was a veteran of 100 Test matches between 1993 and 2005. But he also spent years battling anxiety and depression, and believed his wife Amanda and children Henry, Amelia, Kitty and Emma were better off without him. Thorpe was born in Farnham, Surrey, and showed early promise as a footballer - even being offered trials at Brentford - but was already involved in the under-11s set-up at his home county cricket club. He did not look back. Thorpe would go on to become one of the most revered batsmen of his generation, a rare bright spark in an England team which often failed to deliver. His swashbuckling style and distinctive headband made him popular with fans new and old. And he set records along the way - becoming the first England batter for 20 years to score 100 runs on his Test debut, doing so against a Shane Warne-inspired Australia at Trent Bridge in Nottinghamshire in 1993. He would become only the eight man to reach 100 Test caps for England, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66. But he was also plagued by demons. In 2002, the year he scored the third fastest double-century in Test history, Thorpe took a 12-month break from cricket as he left a tour of India amid turmoil in his first marriage due to his cheating that led to a bitter divorce and a battle with suicidal depression and alcoholism. Thorpe admitted later after he flew back from touring India to try to save his first marriage: 'There came a time when I would have given back all my Test runs and Test caps just to be happy again.' Mrs Thorpe said in an interview after his death that despite having a wife and children whom he loved and who loved him, 'he did not get better'. His wife said: 'He was so unwell in recent times and he really did believe that we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life.' Thorpe will be honoured during the final Test match against India at The Oval next month to raise awareness of mental health. Day two of the fifth Test will be called 'A Day for Thorpey' in support of charity Mind. It falls on August 1, which would have been Thorpe's 56th birthday. Thorpe's inquest is due to last until Friday.
ITV News
17 minutes ago
- ITV News
Cornish surgeon who had legs amputated accused of falsely claiming he had sepsis
A vascular surgeon from Truro who carried out hundreds of amputation operations before having his own legs removed has been charged with fraud. Neil Hopper, 49, who worked for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust for 10 years until 2023, claimed his leg injuries were the result of sepsis. He has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others. Hopper is due before Magistrates in Bodmin on Wednesday accused of two counts of fraud by false representation, and a charge of encouraging or assisting in the commission of an indictable-only offence, namely grievous bodily harm. It is alleged that on dates between June 3 and June 26 2019, Hopper dishonestly made a false representation to insurers claiming that his leg injuries were the 'result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted'. It is also alleged that between 21 August 2018 and 4 December 2020, Hopper bought videos from The EunuchMaker website showing the removal of limbs, which 'encouraged Marius Gustavson to remove body parts of third parties'. Hopper has not worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust since March 2023. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service's interim orders tribunal placed restrictions on his practice the following month while the General Medical Council investigated, and he has been suspended from the medical register since December 2023. A Devon and Cornwall Police spokeswoman said: 'The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, where Mr Hopper has been employed, has worked closely with Devon and Cornwall Police throughout the investigation.' A hospital trust spokesman added: 'The charges do not relate to Mr Hopper's professional conduct and there has been no evidence to suggest any risk to patients. 'Mr Hopper worked at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals from 2013 until he was suspended from duty in March 2023, following his initial arrest.
Times
18 minutes ago
- Times
The best electric cars eligible for the £3,750 grant
A grant announced last week will offer motorists up to £3,750 off the cost of a new electric car. The £650 million scheme has its limitations, however. It applies only to new cars with a list price of less than £37,000. This means that it does not cover all manufacturers: BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi, Polestar and Tesla do not sell vehicles below £37,000. Registration for the scheme opened last Wednesday. So far, the grant has brought 'chaos and confusion' as car dealers said they had been left fielding calls from potential buyers but had no information. • Read more expert reviews, news and insights on cars and motoring Qualifying vehicles fall into two bands based on the manufacturer's sustainability efforts and production emissions. Greener band 1 vehicles qualify for the full £3,750 discount and buyers of band 2 vehicles get up to £1,500 off. Manufacturers must apply for their vehicles to be part of the grant scheme, then they will find out which band their cars fall into. Sustainability stipulations and warranty conditions rule out Chinese-assembled vehicles, although the Chinese companies MG, GWM UK and Leapmotor have announced their own discounts in line with the electric car grant should be mindful about upgrading to the next trim level or adding other options because the increase in price could tip could tip them over £37, improvements in battery longevity and heavy depreciation, second-hand electric cars are increasingly popular and may still prove more cost-effective than a new car with a grant. But if you're keen to take advantage of the scheme, here are five of the best qualifying vehicles. With one of the best range-to-cost ratios, the Renault Scenic E-Tech is designed to make long journeys easier. In the real world 381 miles might be ambitious but owners should expect more than 300 miles per charge and compatible rapid chargers can take the Scenic's battery from 15 per cent to 80 per cent in 37 minutes. Driving range is preserved by an efficient heat pump that controls cabin temperature, and the Renault app helps drivers to check range and plan charges en route. It has extensive safety features and driver aids, and the 12-inch Google-based touchscreen has apps such as Waze and Amazon Music built Goes far for the moneyCons Could be more fun to drive The Vauxhall Grandland Electric offers excellent battery range and space for the money, easily accommodating bulky baby car seats, gigantic teenagers and associated kit. It's a decent-looking large family SUV that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. While it may not be the nippiest or most exciting car on the road, the interior is comfortable and there's 550 litres of space in the Spacious insideCons Feels underpowered The Citroen E-C3 is a characterful little city car that can handle the occasional longer jaunt with an advertised range of 199 miles. Its front seats and steering wheel can be heated, and you get all the required safety features such as active lane departure warning. The 44kWh battery charges from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 26 minutes at a fast public charger. The infotainment system is accessed via the 10.25-inch touchscreen display, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It has a playfully chunky design and a higher driving position, and the compact interior is clean and AffordabilityCons Some cheap materials inside Any sceptics who complain that electric cars take the fun out of driving should climb behind the wheel of an Alpine A290. Based on the Renault 5, with more performance and sportier handling, it's a proper little electric hot hatch, zipping from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds. The 220hp maximum power, 300 NM maximum torque and overtake button are complemented by muscular lines, rally-style lighting and a Formula 1-inspired steering wheel. With a range of up to 226 miles, five doors, five seats and 326 litres of boot space, it can handle errands as well as bringing the Engaging handlingCons The Renault 5 is a lot cheaper and almost as fun For an electric car that turns heads at a decent price, the Mini Cooper SE is hard to beat. It has a sleek, minimalist exterior, 16 to 18-inch alloys, panoramic sunroof, and stylish interior. The distinctive circular interactive display comes with a cutesy digital companion, while the upholstery is leather-free and recycled. Billed as bringing a 'go-kart feeling', the Mini Cooper SE's low centre of gravity makes it enjoyable to sling around corners, taking on city driving and longer trips with comprehensive safety and driver assist features. It can charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in about 30 Desirable stylingCons Not the best value
