Santander boss plunged to his death from eighth floor balcony after watching Stephen Fry talk about his battle with bipolar
At an inquest into his death, the coroner said there could have been "no doubt in James Erven's mind what the effect of his stepping from that balcony would be"
A SENIOR Santander banker plunged to his death from an eighth floor balcony after watching TV celebrity Stephen Fry talking about his battle with bipolar and realising he too had the illness.
Talented James Erven had visited his doctor before he killed himself to say that his life-long mood swings might be a result of cyclothymia - a mild form of the bipolar disorder.
The 42-year-old committed suicide by jumping from a top floor balcony. He was watched by a horrified onlooker as he landed in the bush below.
Mr Erven's GP told the inquest: "Mr Erven had previously tried to kill himself in his 20s. He described periods of depression and manic behaviour. After watching a Stephen Fry TV documentary he realised he was probably bipolar."
A police officer told the coroner they were called to the scene around 8pm after the caller heard a "large thud" and saw a body lying in a bush outside.
An ambulance arrived at 8.25pm, and Mr Erven was declared dead at the scene.
When police went into Mr Erven's flat they found an empty bottle of wine, a glass of whisky and an open window.
The coroner heard that detectives tried to get information from Mr Erven's laptop computers and phones but due to his senior position in the Santander Bank, it was beyond the police's capability to access the information stored on the machines.
Senior Hertfordshire Coroner Geoffrey Sullivan recorded a verdict of suicide having examined all the facts around Mr Erven's death, saying: "The cause of death was suicide. There was no significant amount of drugs or wine in his blood.
"His psychiatrist thought he was suffering from cyclothymia, or bipolar 3. He had it for many years and it did not stop him from having a full and successful life."
The coroner added: "There could have been no doubt in his mind what the effect of his stepping from that balcony would be. He had experienced suicidal idolisation before. There can be no other explanation than suicide."
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At mention of the verdict, Mr Erven's mother started crying and was consoled by other members of the family.
She had also tearfully exclaimed: "He was so successful!" during proceedings.
A neighbour of Mr Erven's, who did not want to be identified, said: "He was very lonely, I never heard anyone coming or going from his flat apart from him."
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