'Gentle giant' died after medication withdrawn, inquest told

A keen rugby player and strongman described by his mother as a "gentle giant" had a prescription for anti-psychotic medication withdrawn weeks before his death, an inquest heard.

James Snowden, who had struggled with suicidal feelings since childhood, was 21 when his body was found at his family home in Altrincham in December 2024.

Manchester South Coroner's Court heard after numerous attempts to take his own life he had been prescribed sulpiride in 2021 - which his mother said had helped him "pursue a full life".

When James died he was under the care of the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, which will give evidence throughout the week and has been approached for comment.

However, the court heard that on 26 November 2024, James had attended an appointment to plan for the gradual withdrawal of the drug.

Snowden, a keen sportsman, had been a member of Broughton Park FC and Sale FC Rugby Clubs and St Lawrence's Gaelic Football Club.

As a competitive strongman, in 2019 he reportedly became the second youngest person on record to lift the famed Dinnie Stones at the first attempt, unassisted, at The Gathering stone-lifting contest in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Giving evidence to the inquest, his mother, Samantha Snowden, said her 6ft 7in son was a "gentle giant" and a "gifted mathematician", but spoke of his "suicidal ideation" from the age of four.

The court heard Snowden had suffered from auditory hallucinations - connected to his autism - from an early age.

His mother described them as "commanding voices" and spoke of how her son had called himself an "unlovable monster".

Under questioning from coroner Adrian Farrow KC, she described how her son had tried to take his own life on multiple occasions from the age of 11.

She said he had been in the care of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for many years before moving to adult mental health services.

Snowden's mother told the hearing doctors had reasoned that an existing prescription of a different antipsychotic drug, aripiprazole, was sufficient.

However, she told the coroner her son had interpreted that as stopping the usage of sulpiride altogether.

When Farrow KC asked how James' usage of the drug had ended, Samantha Snowden told the court: "He wasn't being truthful.

"He was telling me he was taking them when he wasn't. That was out of character for James."

The inquest also heard how Snowden had experienced a number of setbacks in the weeks prior to his death, including a "sporting injury".

He was "struggling to sleep" after the death of a close friend, and the court heard his pet dog also died "unexpectedly".

Samantha Snowden also spoke of her son's "distrust of authority" and described a "breakdown of trust" between the family and his care coordinator.

The inquest continues.

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