JOHN DAVIDSON FROM MARYPORT COMMITS SUICIDE IN CARLISLE AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON

In April 2013, a tragic incident unfolded in Carlisle when John Davidson, a man with a troubled past, took his own life shortly after being released from prison. Davidson, aged 45, was found hanging in his room at the Bowling Green Hostel located on Lowther Street, right in the heart of Carlisle city centre. His death came just days after he had completed a sentence for a serious criminal conviction involving a sexual assault.

Details of Davidson’s criminal history reveal that he was previously a resident of Ellenfoot Drive, Maryport. He had been charged with raping a teenage girl but ultimately admitted to a lesser offence. In March of the previous year, Davidson was sentenced to 16 months in prison. However, due to the time he had spent on remand, he was released on licence in July. His release was under supervision, but the circumstances surrounding his mental state and the events leading up to his death suggest a complex and troubled mind.

During the inquest held in Cockermouth, Davidson’s former partner, Leona Lawson, provided insight into his feelings about his conviction. She explained that Davidson believed he had been wrongly accused, but his lawyer had advised him to plead guilty to the charges. Lawson also mentioned that Davidson felt he was unfairly labeled as a rapist by his probation officer, which added to his distress.

On July 6, the day before his death, Davidson’s friend Stewart Mawson visited him at the Carlisle hostel. Mawson, who used to work on the railway, recounted that Davidson was drinking alcohol and appeared to be in good spirits initially. However, their mood changed when they were in a supermarket car park, where Davidson spotted someone he believed was the girl involved in his court case. Mawson described Davidson as feeling wronged and deeply upset by the encounter.

According to Mawson, Davidson expressed feelings of despair and talked about ending his life. Despite Mawson’s efforts to dissuade him, Davidson was visibly distressed. He later returned to the hostel in a seemingly better mood, just before 11 pm. That evening, he had a phone argument with his former partner, Leona Lawson, concerning his ongoing drinking habits.

By the following afternoon, staff at the hostel noticed that Davidson had not been seen all day. Concerned, hostel worker David Hind went to check on him and discovered Davidson’s body hanging from the door of his room. The tragic discovery underscored the severity of his mental health struggles.

Probation officer Pamela Bowker explained that there had been some confusion regarding Davidson’s charges. The paperwork she received before a pre-release visit contained incorrect information, which was later corrected. She expressed regret for the mistake and noted that Davidson was worried about being classified as high risk and the restrictions imposed by his licence, which prevented him from entering Allerdale, where his family resided.

Medical reports revealed that Davidson had a history of alcohol dependency and had previously attempted suicide. The deputy coroner, Robert Chapman, commented on the impact of alcohol and the emotional toll of his conviction. He stated, “When he was in drink all sorts of problems arose. Whatever the rights and wrongs of his conviction, it played substantially on his mind and he felt it was unfair. Clearly on this particular night he had had too much to drink and he was also badly affected by seeing his victim or thinking he’d seen his victim.”

Following the inquest, Davidson’s daughters, Leanne and Lauren, paid tribute to their father. Leanne reflected, “We had our ups and downs but he wasn’t what he was labelled.”

It was also noted that at the time of Davidson’s death, the hostel’s policy was to wake residents on weekdays but to leave them undisturbed during weekends. Since then, the policy has been revised to include checks on residents who have not been seen by 10 am on weekends. A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Service concluded that hostel staff could not have done much more to prevent Davidson’s tragic death, highlighting the complex interplay of mental health, substance abuse, and the criminal justice system.