The inquests into the deaths of a Lowestoft couple who died in a "tragic set of circumstances" have now concluded.

Suffolk Coroners Court heard two inquests on Friday relating to the deaths of Jason Hammond, 56, and his partner, Ruth Carlisle, 42, both from Lowestoft.

Mr Hammond had been caring for Ms Carlisle who suffered from multiple sclerosis for the past 16 years, the inquest heard.

On January 14 this year, Mr Hammond told Ms Carlisle that he was going to go for a walk at around 7.30pm.

Ms Carlisle reported to the police that she was concerned for his welfare at around 11pm that evening after sending two unanswered texts.

Suffolk Police categorised the call as a high-risk case and the Coastguard and RNLI were called in to help with the search.

He was found lying next to the sea in a private yard in the vicinity of Norfolk Marine in Lowestoft at around 4.14am the following morning.

When Mr Hammond had told his partner he was going for a walk, it had concerned Ms Carlisle, due to Mr Hammond suffering with his mental health since December 24, 2023, when he had made a number of comments about wanting to end his life.

The inquest heard that on Christmas Eve, he had gone out to buy cigarettes and when he  returned home, he had told his partner that he had made an attempt to take his life.

He was told that he should contact mental health services so he called 111 and was given safety advice, and was asked if he wanted an ambulance to be sent to him, which he declined.

He had two further calls with mental health services.

A post mortem examination was performed on his body, where it was established that no alcohol or drugs was found in his system, and the medical cause of death was given as drowning.

Coroner Mr Darren Stewart OBE said that he was "satisfied on the balance of probabilities that it is more than likely than not that he had formed an intention to take his own life" before giving a short form conclusion of suicide.

The court then heard the inquest into the death of MR Hammond's partner, Ruth Carlisle, who died just over a month later on February 26.

Her brother had raised concerns to the police on February 25 that he hadn't heard from his sister since the last time they spoke on February 22.

Police went to the block of flats where she was living and were given access by property management where they found Ms Carlisle's body inside.

A note was found expressing her feelings of remorse and loss, a sense of guilt and responsibility for her partner's death, a feeling of not being able to continue without him being in her life and a wish for her life to end.

Ms Carlisle had suffered mental health issues following her partner's death.

She had contacted 111 seeking advice as she was having difficulty sleeping. She had also seen a GP who had prescribed her sleeping pills. 

She was in contact with the wellbeing service, part of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and at an assessment on February 6 she explained that the main reason for her needing support was due to the loss of her partner. 

She was told that she would be referred for an adult services assessment to help with her care, as well as the community mental health team.

Following her death, a post mortem was performed which found four drugs in her system, all prescribed to help her with sleeping.

Mr Stewart concluded that Ms Carlisle intended to take her own life.

"This is a tragic set of circumstances where Ms Carlisle, overwhelmed by the grief and loss of her partner, Mr Hammond, who had taken his own life just a matter of weeks before, felt she couldn't continue without him and her only option was to take her own life.

"I extend my condolences to both families in this case."