Jeremy Kyle Show guest had taken four drug overdoses, inquest told

Steve Dymond, a guest on the Jeremy Kyle Show, had previously been sectioned over his mental health and had taken four drug overdoses, an inquest has heard.

The 63-year-old from Portsmouth, Hampshire, is believed to have killed himself seven days after filming for the ITV show in May 2019.

He had taken a lie detector test for the programme after being accused of cheating on his partner, Jane Callaghan, from Gosport, Hampshire.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Dymond died at his home from a combination of morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy in his heart.

Dr Amjad Rehman, a GP at the Rowner Health Centre in Gosport, told the inquest that he saw Mr Dymond on March 14 2019.

He said Mr Dymond had suicidal thoughts and he made a “very urgent” referral to the acute mental health crisis team.

He said: “He was very depressed and said he was depressed for the last four weeks, he was separated from his partner for the last four weeks.

“He kept lying to her, was continually lying to his partner, that is why he left the house and was in bed and breakfast now.”

He added: “I examined him, he was very anxious, picking at his arm, and he was very upset.

“He was telling me that he intended to walk in front of a moving car, I referred him to the acute mental health crisis team.”

Dr Rehman said that not all of Mr Dymond’s medical records connected to his mental health were available on his system at the time of the consultation.

But the inquest heard that he had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder in 1995 and he had taken overdoses on four occasions – in January 1995, twice in December 2002 and in April 2005.

The court was told he had also attempted to cut his wrists in December 2002.

He was also sectioned on September 22 2005, and a mental health assessment found he was at “risk of suicide”.

Dr Rehman said Mr Dymond’s case was referred back to the community health team under his supervision, because he was deemed to be of “low risk of suicide” and had been experiencing a “reactive episode” to his relationship breakdown.

When Mr Dymond was assessed by the acute mental health team, he had “suicidal thoughts” but denied “any concrete plan”, the inquest heard.

He had told the medics he had been depressed for four to eight weeks since splitting up with his partner, and that his “wife feels he is a narcissist”.

The review said he wanted “to get help with being a compulsive liar and get help with being a narcissist”.

The assessment said there was not an “enduring mental health illness present” and Mr Dymond was referred back to the community mental health team, the court was told.

Dr Rehman said he saw Mr Dymond again on March 29 when he prescribed him the anti-depressant Sertraline.

Dr Rehman said he was still reporting “off and on self-harm thoughts” but had no “plans to materialise them”.

The inquest heard that Mr Dymond went into the surgery on April 9 and spoke to a staff member who recorded in notes that he was “desperate for a letter to take to the show”.

After telling him there was no GP available to speak to, the member of staff recorded: “He grabbed my hand and begged me to go and ask.”

He was “not pleased” when a doctor’s reluctance to write a letter was relayed to him, the inquest heard.

The court was also told that Mr Dymond saw a nurse practitioner on April 10, when he asked for a letter to say he was not depressed or taking anti-depressants so that he could go on a television show to take a lie detector test.

He had handed back the anti-depressants unused, but the nurse refused to write the letter.

Dr Rehman said Mr Dymond then attended his surgery on April 29, “banged” open his door with his foot and “aggressively” asked for the letter “as a matter of life or death”.

The GP said Mr Dymond’s mood and appearance had improved and agreed to write a letter reflecting this, but declined to say that he was not suffering from depression.

The letter read to the inquest said: “I write to confirm that Mr Dymond is registered with this practice.

“Mr Dymond has a history of low mood and depression but his mood has improved since he got back together with his partner.

“I saw him for review at the surgery today and his mood has improved and he is not taking any anti-depressants at this time. I hope you will find this information helpful.”

Dr Rehman said he knew Mr Dymond wanted to go on a TV show but did not ask for further details.

He insisted the letter was not specifically for The Jeremy Kyle Show and denied having detailed knowledge of the programme.

“Believe me, I had absolutely no knowledge about this show at all,” he told the inquest.

Asked if he was able to say whether Mr Dymond was suitable for attending the show and taking a lie detector test, Dr Rehman said: “I can’t comment on that because I don’t know the show, and if he wanted to go to the TV show then I would refer him to the psychiatrist to give his opinion.”

The GP said he was not contacted by anyone from the show or ITV.

Asked if it was “not pertinent” to mention a history of suicidal thoughts in his letter, Dr Rehman said: “I could have mentioned that but the mental health team did not say that he was suicidal.”

Mr Dymond had been assessed as “low risk”, the court heard.

Pressed by Neil Sheldon KC, representing Mr Kyle, on why he did not make reference to Mr Dymond’s suicidal history in the letter, the GP said: “I wrote that he had a history of depression.”

Mr Sheldon replied: “You wrapped all that information up into the comment in the letter that he had a history of low mood and depression?”

Dr Rehman said he was asked to write that Mr Dymond was feeling better and not taking medication.

The hearing continues.

– The Samaritans can be contacted on 116123 or email jo@samaritans.org.