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Mother killed herself after she was wrongly accused of having sex with an underage boy




Amother of four killed herself after she lost custody of her children when she was wrongly accused of having sex with an under age boy.

Sheila Griffin, 36, was acquitted following a trial by jury but during the two-year battle to clear her name her children had moved in with their father and she had to fight for contact, an inquest heard.

The support worker had battled depression for years and had attempted to take her own life four times in 2016 before she was found dead in bed by her grandmother having taken an overdose.



She had begged for help with her mental health problems, which had spiralled following the false accusations and the loss of custody of her four children.


In the run up to her death on October 15 last year Mrs Griffin, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, had complained of being let down by the system and had been been admitted to a psychiatric hospital saying she had "to get help to face her demons that she just couldn't fight alone."

But just ten days after her release, during which time she had tried to arrange a visit to see her children at their home in Edinburgh, she took her own life.


Discussing her contact with professionals, Dr David Rimmer, a consultant psychiatrist at the John Elliott unit of Birch Hill Hospital, said: "Whilst there's an ongoing risk of harming oneself there's only so much mental health services can do.

"I was aware of the criminal allegation and I know it was a major upset and a major trauma. The problem we have is we can be aware of things but what can we do about them? She didn't like talking about it in a way that possibly some form of counselling might have helped."



Mrs Griffin, described as a "good mum and a lovely person", had separated from her husband of 18 years whe she was accused of sexual activity with a child in 2012. She was finally found not guilty by a jury in 2014.

Sheila Noakes, her grandmother, told the hearing: "Although she was found not guilty, she could never talk about it.

"It also had an effect in terms of her family arrangements because around this time Chris was given temporary custody of the children. Chris got custody because the children had to be with him and it was not Sheila's fault.

"As a result of Chris getting full custody Sheila began to drink more and take painkillers. After that Sheila had difficulties maintaining contact with the children. Chris made it really hard for her. The most obvious trigger was when she had contact with her ex husband and she would go on a real downer."

She added: "She loved her children very much, it was heartbreaking for her family and friends to see her trying to cope without having her children around her. She is very much missed by all of the family."

Passing a conclusion of suicide, assistant coroner, Peter Sigee said: "I'm satisfied Sheila acted with the intention of ending her own life. Please let me express my condolences and sympathies to all family and friends. I hope it may prove to be a stepping stone on the road to coming to terms with her death."

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