Inquest concluded over death of Grantham father and husband

An inquest into the sudden death of a "loving gentleman" and beloved member of the local footballing community has been concluded.

The inquest into the death of Mark Bland, who died aged 49 at his Grantham home, took place in Lincoln on Tuesday.

The coroner, Paul Cooper, concluded that the cause of death was suicide on October 23, 2021.

A report from Mark’s GP read at the inquest said that he had been a patient since August 2019, noting that he was first diagnosed with epilepsy in October 2018 after his first seizure.

This was followed by two more seizures. During a telephone call with his GP in June 2021, Mark complained of low moods, but said there was no family or work pressure and that he felt his medication was working.

He also denied thoughts of self-harm. A review was set to take place in four weeks' time, with another phone call taking place in July.

According to the report, Mark had taken the call while on a walk exercising, and he had said that he had had no low moods and had started feeling better. Nothing further was reported from the GP until Mark's death was reported.

A witness statement from the coroner described a telephone call with Mark's wife Michelle in which she said that Mark was "the most loving gentleman" and that, despite his issues, "he always made time for people who needed it".

She explained that Mark and their son Louis had ran Grantham Town FC's academy team together and that "as well as being father and son, him and Louis were best friends".

Paying tribute to his dad in October, Louis said: “He was my inspiration and my best friend and I will never ever forget him.

“He is the reason I am who I am today because of the sacrifices he made to always put me first in everything we did.”

Michelle explained that despite being a top salesman in his firm, Mark had suddenly been laid off, with no reason given, which “really hit Mark hard".

Police arrived on the scene at Mark's home at 7.30am on October 23 after a report of sudden death, with the cause being asphyxiation by hanging.

A toxicological report in December found no alcohol or drugs in his system, but found prescribed anti-epileptic drugs.

The coroner, Mr Cooper, concluded that: "[Mark] lost his job, that is the trigger as far as I’m concerned in this particular case" and concluded that the cause of death had to be that of suicide, offering his condolences to the family."

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