Death fall butcher Oliver Ruse was ‘assessed by mental health specialists’

Butcher Oliver Ruse

by Bury Free Press reporter
news@buryfreepress.co.uk

The family of village butcher Oliver Ruse who fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Bury St Edmunds have revealed they begged for him to be admitted to a mental health unit.

The father of four plunged 60ft to his death at the Parkway multi-storey – hours before police found the body of his estranged wife Deborah in a cottage in Long Melford last month.

A post mortem confirmed she died of ‘significant head injuries’ and police are treating her death as murder.

Mr Ruse’s stepmother Sheelagh Ruse has now revealed the family took him to West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury twice in the weeks before his death. She said they were worried about his mental state and he was assessed by mental health specialists for depression.

His family asked for him to be admitted on the second occasion – but after seeing a consultant he asked to go home and was released.

Mrs Ruse, 73, said she feels people are ‘let down’ by the NHS when it comes to mental health. She said: “I feel that Oliver was under enormous pressures that we didn’t realise. He kept a lot to himself about difficulties he was having but he definitely wasn’t himself and we were very worried about him.

“We are not angry with the hospital, who did what they thought best because he obviously managed to convince the doctors he was coping – they thought it was just a cry for help and sent him home.

“But I do feel that mental health is the Cinderella of the health service, with the number of beds having been reduced dramatically and patients treated in the community sometimes with disastrous results.”

Mrs Ruse said the family had been ‘completely overwhelmed’ by the support they had received as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.

She added: “We have had letters and cards – 84 in one day alone – some from local people who don’t even know us and there are about 100 bouquets outside the shop.

“Oliver was such a gentleman and it is comforting to know he was well-liked.

“We have been very uplifted by the response from local people and it has been a great comfort to us.”

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust medical director Dr Hadrian Ball said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with all those affected by this tragedy. We are providing every assistance to Suffolk police with their investigations.” A Trust spokesman said they could not comment fully on the case until the police had concluded their investigations.

Credit: Burys Free Press