‘Failings’ in care for cricket legend in the months before he took his own life

There were ‘failings’ in the care for former England cricketer Graham Thorpe in the months before he took his own life, a coroner has said.

The 55-year-oldwas not seen by care professionals in person for over four months, despite them knowing that Thorpe was ‘constantly asking for help to end his life’.

The cricket star died on the morning of August 4, 2024, after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey.

Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded a conclusion of suicide at the inquest but said there had been ‘shortcomings’ in Thorpe’s care.

Thorpe ‘spiralled into depression’ after losing his job as a batting coach in 2022 and had tried to take his own life on another occasion.

The coroner said the cricketer was last seen by healthcare professionals in person on March 26, 2024.

He missed an appointment with the community mental health team on June 28 that year.

That is when the care coordinator, Katie Johnson, spoke to Thorpe’s wife Amanda, who reported that her husband was ‘constantly asking for help to end his life’.

Thorpe later told Johnson himself that he ‘didn’t see the point of being here’ but did not plan on acting on suicidal thoughts.

The coroner said ‘someone should have gone to see’ the 55-year-old to assess him after it was clear he ‘found it hard to attend’ appointments offered to him.

‘Come see me in two weeks’ was ‘not an appropriate response,’ he added.

Stevens said that ‘protective measures’ should have been introduced in June 2024, similar to when Thorpe was given in-patient treatment over suicidal thoughts in May 2023.

The inquest heard that those responsible for Thorpe’s care judged he was in a ‘crisis situation’ after learning he had asked his wife ‘for help to end his life’.

The coroner rejected that, saying: ‘I don’t accept that when Graham was constantly asking his wife to help him end his life, which was a new presentation… that he was not at that point in crisis.’

Stevens added: ‘In my judgment there were shortcomings in the care that should have been provided to Graham in the last four months or so of his life.’

However the coroner said the evidence did not point to the ‘failings’ in Thorpe’s care being gross, so could not conclude Thorpe would not have died if not for the failings.

He added there was no evidence for a finding of neglect.

Thorpe’s family said they hope the coroner will ‘address concerns’ regarding the cricketer’s care before his death.

Their representative said they hope coroner will address the ‘shortcomings’ so that such a loss ‘never happens again’.

Thorpe’s wife Amanda spoke outside Surrey Coroner’s Court with a message to the loved ones of others who struggle with their mental health.

She said: ‘Reach out for help, and you are not alone. There is help out there. Keep going. Things will get better.’

The inquest heard previously that a leaked video of Tasmanian police breaking up a drinking session between England and Australian cricket players in 2022 was ‘blown out of all proportion’ and the fallout left Graham ‘distraught’.

Amanda said it was a ‘horrible’ time, and the later termination of his employment with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was ‘the ‘start of the decline of his mental health’.

Thorpe was a mainstay in the England set-up for many years, first as a batter between 1993 and 2005 before spending 12 years in coaching roles.

During a distinguished international career, he struck 16 Test hundreds for England, including a debut century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, and represented his country 182 times in all formats.

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