Debts drove father to kill himself and children

IAN MACKINNON

A father faced with a mountain of debt killed himself and his four young children days after receiving a demand from the Child Support Agency that he pay pounds 2,800 within two weeks.

An inquest yesterday heard that Phillip Mitchell, a 36-year-old divorcee, took his own life and those of his children, Jonathan, nine, Cathryn, seven, and twins Jessica and Christopher, six, in a fume-filled car.

But during the hearing at Crewe, Cheshire, no mention was made of his debts of more than pounds 20,000 or the demand from the CSA for pounds 2,800. These were revealed by police afterwards.

Campaigners against the Child Support Act seized on the tragic deaths as an inevitable consequence of the Government's policy to ensure that fathers meet maintenance costs.

The Network Against the Child Support Act said that since the legislation came into force it had claimed 35 lives and would cost more as a result of the impossible financial burdens it imposed on some families.

The Cheshire coroner, John Hibbert, was told how Mr Mitchell, who had open access to his children, collected them from Church Walk Primary School in Northwich, Cheshire, on 28 September and took them to a restaurant. He had agreed to look after them until 8pm while their mother, Linda, 34, went to netball practice.

However, Mr Mitchell did not return them and Mrs Mitchell telephoned and visited his flat to try to find the children.

The following morning Mr Mitchell's car was discovered in Middlewich with its engine running and a hose-pipe leading from the exhaust into the car.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Buckley said he found the bodies of Mr Mitchell and his four children inside the car.

Det Ch Insp Buckley confirmed that a few days before he died Mr Mitchell had received a demand to pay pounds 2,800 within 14 days, was shortly due to begin payments of pounds 51.50 a week in child maintenance and had debts totalling more than pounds 20,000.

To supplement his earnings as a cutter, Mr Mitchell had taken an evening cleaning job but had lost the contract. In a desperate attempt to get money quickly he had taken bad advice which led him into further debt. He tried to meet this through pyramid selling, gambling in casinos and paying off loans by taking out other loans.

But Det Ch Insp Buckley said that had Mr Mitchell gone to the Citizens' Advice Bureau he could have made arrangements to pay off his debts.

"No debt is serious enough to take your own life, let alone the lives of four children," said Det Ch Insp Buckley. "I feel angry at the way Phillip Mitchell went about the finalisation. Had he sought proper advice he would have been given it and been allowed to pay those debts off. Five people died and there was absolutely no need for it."

Det Ch Insp Buckley added: "I think the CSA demand was one of several he received that week. I cannot be specific in saying that was the one demand that pushed him over the edge."

But Mike Pimblott, of the Network Against the CSA, said that this case was part of a pattern. "It's a very tragic and sad thing, but it's not unusual. There are bound to be tragic cases because of the complete and utter incompetence of the CSA."

Trevor Berry, of Families Need Fathers said that the fault lay in the inflexibility of the system and the dangers would lurk until a proper appeals procedure had been put in place. The CSA declined to comment.

The coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing of the four children.