THE family of a 38-year-old man told an inquest men should speak up if they suffer domestic violence.

Police were called to Rudhall View, Lea at 5.02am on December 12, 2024 after a neighbour reported Stephen Baldwin had taken his life.

Despite efforts by police and paramedics, he was pronounced dead 50 minutes later.

A police investigation concluded that nobody else was involved in the

death of the builder and father-of-three of Crooked End Place, Coleford.

His sister, Sarah Jones, told Herefordshire Coroner’s Court:

“People who are victims of abuse, especially males, need to report it.

“I was sat in a family room in a hospital with Stephen after he suffered broken ribs and I began questioning him, because I couldn’t believe what was going on.

“He has previously suffered a number of black eyes, but he was too scared to admit what was going on. He told me to leave it.”

Paying tribute Ms Jones said: “If anybody ever needed anything Stephen would be the first-person people would contact for help.

“He was a very active and fit man but had mild issues with mental health and struggled to deal with loss,” she said.

“The majority of his self-harm threats were made when he was drunk, but overall, he was a happy go lucky person.”

The inquest heard that in the days before his death there had been a lot of arguments between him and his partner

On December 7, 2024 he had contacted two family members who revealed that he was having a serious panic attack and was locked in his partner’s house and couldn’t get out.

He later posted on social media that he ‘couldn’t do this anymore’ and ended the message with ‘goodbye’.

Assistant Herefordshire Coroner Lindsey Tonks said that Mr Baldwin’s death had been investigated by the police as unlawful manslaughter as a result of domestic

abuse.

She said: “Police looked at coercive and controlling behaviour, but there

was no evidence of physical violence at the time of his death.

“The police were satisfied that there was no third-party involvement that led to his death.

“The only incident that came to light

was in January 2024 when Mr Baldwin suffered a number of broken ribs, but there was nothing to say to me that it was in relation to domestic abuse.

“I cannot say that it is more likely than not that Mr Baldwin took the action he did as a result of domestic abuse.

“The police also investigated if there was a power imbalance or dominance of one or other in the relationship, but not enough evidence was gathered.”

A blood sample showed Mr Baldwin had 223 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres, nearly three times the drink drive limit.

Recording a narrative conclusion of ‘hanging without intent’, the coroner added: “The pathologist records that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death.

“Mr Baldwin was within his partner’s home, and the evidence is that she was in proximity at the time, but I cannot say for definite that he intended to take his own life.”

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