Steven Ruddlesdin, 42, of Barnsley, UK, shot himself in the chest after becoming convinced he had contracted asbestos poisoning and could pass it on to his family; wife Lyn and their eight-year-old son. He was worried he had not used the correct safety gear when removing asbestos sheeting from barn roofs.
A Sheffield inquest heard he had become ‘fixated’ on the idea of contracting asbestosis, and believed he was also a threat to his wife and son.
The idea haunted him on a family holiday in Ibiza, where he continued to try to find out about the effects and dangers of asbestos. The self-employed building contractor had been suffering anxiety and depression for about three months.
Mr. Ruddlesdin saw a doctor and was referred to a psychiatrist, who put him on anti-depressants and he appeared to be improving. A chest X-ray came back clear.
But less than three weeks later on July 1 Mr. Ruddlesdin shot himself, while Lyn was at a presentation at their son’s school.
Family friend Julie Trevy, to whom he had often chatted about his worries, said in a statement: “His main concern was that he had passed it to the family. He felt as if he could never laugh again. He was a lovely, genuine man who worshipped Lyn. He had traditional views of wanting to provide for his family.”
Recording a verdict that Mr. Ruddlesdin took his own life, coroner Christopher Dorries said he had been “suffering from an extreme anxiety state.”
