Proud pensioner, 81, leapt 40ft to her death at quarry because she was 'too proud' to tell her family she had just £5 in bank after DWP 'administrative error' stopped her state pension
- Joy Worrall, 81, took her own life after her pension payments were frozen
- The Department of Work and Pensions apologised over the 'administrative error'
- Her son Ben Worrall said his mother had threatened to end her life in a quarry
- North West Wales coroner John Gittins recorded a conclusion of suicide
Joy Worrall, 81, took her own life after the Department of Work and Pensions froze her pension payments due to an administrative error leaving her with just £5 in her account
An 81-year-old woman killed herself after running out of money when her pension was frozen due to an administrative error.
Joy Worrall was too proud to tell her family about her financial troubles and threw herself off a quarry, as she had always threatened to do if she had major health or money worries.
After an inquest in Ruthin, Denbighshire yesterday, her son Ben Worrall, said the Department of Work and Pensions, who have apologised for the error, were 'guilty of a failure of duty of care'.
Now Delyn MP David Hanson is seeking further clarification and an assurance that the procedures have been tightened to prevent a recurrence.
In a statement read at the hearing Mr Worrall, of Rhosesmor, near Holywell, said she was fit and well but kept things to herself if anything bothered her.
He spoke to his mother, who lived nearby in Church Terrace, Rhesycae, three or four times a week and last contacted her on November 19 last year.
Two days later, after a friend got in touch to ask where his mother was, he went to her cottage and raised the alarm when he could not find her. Her car was also missing.
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A police search was launched and a helicopter was called. The following morning members of the North East Wales Search and Rescue team found Mrs Worrall's body at the foot of a 40-foot face at Rhesycae quarry.
Mr Worrall said her death was a shock as there were so many unanswered questions, but when he investigated his mother's affairs and contacted the DWP the true picture emerged.
Mrs Worrall, a divorcee, who had been receiving a state pension and pension credits told the Department in 2014 that she had received a recent inheritance.
Nothing was changed, but in July, 2017, the situation was being re-assessed. However, instead of only her credits being frozen her entire pension was stopped, with the result that she had no income whatsoever.
Ms Worrall died after jumped into the Rhesycae quarry near her home in north Wales
Mrs Worrall warned she would take her own life in the quarry if her health failed or he faced serious financial difficulties
In a letter of explanation to Mr Worrall, Suzanne Mitchelson, the DWP's complaints resolution manager, said the two pensions should have been 'decombined' and her basic pension continued.
'I am sorry to say that due to an administrative error this did not happen,' she wrote.
Mr Worrall told the inquest that his mother had only £5 in her account on her death, having apparently spent all of her £5,000 savings.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, said it was important that he heard the background, but added: 'It would be inappropriate for me to comment further'.
After the hearing Mr Worrall said: 'My mother was a proud woman who was simply left without any capital.'
He said he had raised the issue with David Hanson to try to ensure that no-one else found themselves in the same position.
'I feel we have been let down by the DWP who have failed in their duty of care. It's a disgrace how this can happen in modern society and what concerns me is that this could happen to someone else,' he added.
- If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article then you can call the Samaritans on 116 123, alternatively you can visit the website at by clicking here.
