A coroner has found that a 20-year-old from a mid Suffolk town who was found near the Orwell Bridge took his own life.

On Tuesday last week, the inquest for Benoit Hondier was brought to a close at Suffolk Coroners’ Court in Ipswich.

The court heard that at 5.40pm on November 10 last year, officers from Suffolk police had searched the bridge and the stretches of road immediately before it, after being contacted by a passing motorist who was concerned for a pedestrian. 

Officers were unable to locate the pedestrian in question. However, about two and a half hours later, workmen attending a compound beneath the bridge discovered the body of Mr Hondier, who was from Stowmarket.

Police and paramedics were called, but Mr Hondier was pronounced dead at the scene.

Subsequent police enquiries concerning Mr Hondier’s death revealed no suspicious circumstances or third-party involvement.

The court heard that Mr Hondier had a history of mental health struggles, which started in his teenage years in 2018.

He had been diagnosed in 2021 with complex trauma with emotional dysregulation, and psychotic-like experiences. 

From May of 2021, Mr Hondier seemed to experience a period of stability in his mental health and wellbeing.

However, his family later found out that he had been struggling in the month leading up to his death.

The presiding coroner Mr Darren Stewart OBE recorded a narrative conclusion. He found that Mr Hondier had taken his own life whilst suffering from a diagnosed mental health illness. 

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