Hairdresser commits suicide after birth of his twin daughters–worried over child support

Salon owner: Simon Pritchard, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was found dead at home last May

A 35-year-old hairdresser hanged himself just five days after the birth of his twin girls due to the stress of working long hours to provide for his newborn children, an inquest was told.

Salon owner Simon Pritchard, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was found dead at home by his mother Gillian, 67, and two friends.

He felt under financial pressure to provide child maintenance money which had forced him to work around-the-clock, friends told the hearing at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall.

His friend of 20 years, Paul Lewis, who found his body at his home, said: ‘I was concerned there were issues with his girlfriend at the time putting pressure on him for child maintenance money.

‘In a conversation we had about a year before, he said he was having a tough time. He said he considered doing it [suicide] but the thought of his mum stopped him.’

The inquest last Friday was told the couple had been suffering relationship problems since 2011.

Birmingham deputy coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe called the case ‘phenomenally tragic’ and recorded a verdict of suicide for his death in May last year.

She told the inquest: ‘His friends and family are clearly very loving and he had a wide circle of friends who were worried about him. There really are no words to express how sad this case is.’

The mother of the children - whose name was not made public - did not attend the hearing. Mr Pritchard had set up the Love hair salon in Sutton Coldfield just six months before taking his own life.