A PE teacher took his own life after being arrested and released from custody for a second time, an inquest heard.
Paul Ruff had been suspended from his job at St Peter’s Church of England Aided School in Exeter due to being under police investigation, Devon Live reports. He was initially arrested on December 12 last year, and again on February 15 this year.
No details were disclosed in the inquest about why he had been arrested. Mr Ruff, described as a teacher who was ‘dedicated to his job’, was tragically found dead at his home by a concerned friend on February 15.
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Exeter Coroners’ Court heard yesterday (August 1) how the 49-year-old ‘s family did not find out about either arrests or the police investigation until after his death. The inquest heard Mr Ruff had ‘devoted his life to coaching and taking part in sports’.
Following his arrests he was said to have believed his carer and reputation were over and had become depressed and admitted suicidal thoughts to a close friend. In a statement, his sister Julie Olson told how he had studied sports at university and after gaining his teaching qualification in Exeter he joined St Peter’s School and later became head of its PE department.
As a youth, he represented his county in running and as an adult, he enjoyed being a long-distance marathon runner and completed an ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert. While visiting the USA, he was said to have discovered ultimate frisbee which he brought back to the UK and coached it in school and made it a national competition.
His love of sport and the outdoors was said to have also included kayaking and cycling, and he also co-hosted a radio show, but his biggest passion was said to be teaching. Ms Olson said: “He was dedicated to his job.
“He was the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night. He ran after-school clubs every night.”
She described him as a private man who did not discuss his private life and had never married or had children but remained ‘best friends’ with a past fiancée. She added his mental health was ‘excellent’ and he would encourage children to talk if they were feeling down.
She said: “I am not aware of previous self-harm. He would tell me he had the most amazing life and how it was important not to waste a single day.”
She added concerns she was aware of were his various aches and pains due to his sporting activities causing him to worry about being too old to be a PE teacher, and having financial debts. Ms Olson said: “He said his salary just covered his outgoings but he lived well.”
The weekend before his death she recalled he had enjoyed visiting family in West Sussex to celebrate his impending 50th birthday and had been in a ‘fantastic mood’ and gave early birthday presents to her and their mum, and had said special things to everyone.
She said in hindsight he had been ‘too happy’ and said: “He never mentioned anything of being arrested or suspended from school.”
The inquest heard that Mr Ruff was suspended immediately after police told the school about his arrest. The leadership team ensured an ongoing support network was put in place for him.
Colleague and friend Martin Hawker recalled how Mr Ruff seemed to struggle during the winter months and after his arrest in December his mental health ‘plummeted’. He said: “His reputation had gone and work was his life.
“It was very difficult for him to see any way back. He talked about the world being a better place without him. I tried to encourage him to get help but he wouldn’t.”
Former colleague Mike Musson told in a statement how he had gone to Mr Ruff’s home on the afternoon of February 15 at 1pm as they had arranged to visit a friend’s woodland but he was not home. However, he saw him return shortly afterwards after mutual friend Rob Robson informed him of his arrest.
He described Mr Ruff as having looked ‘ashen’ and said he wanted to be on his own. Knowing that Mr Robson was on his way over he said he left.
Mr Musson recalled Mr Ruff had not told him about the police investigation until early February and said he believed it would take a maximum of another three months and disclosed suicidal thoughts. He said: “A lack of communication was leaving him feeling anxious and paranoid.”
He added: “The process he was going through was clearly having a terrible effect on him.” The inquest heard that when Mr Ruff’s best friend Mr Robson arrived soon after Mr Musson left, Mr Ruff’s door was locked but he had a key to get in.
After being unable to find him in the house, he located him in the locked garage and called upon Mr Walker to help him gain entry. They were only successful in dislodging the handle of the garage and through a hole could see Mr Ruff suspended and called the emergency services who forced entry but were unable to revive him.
A police investigation concluded Mr Ruff had taken his own life and it was ‘likely’ his arrest was a contributory factor. Two suicide notes were later found, one dated December 21, which indicated a decision to end life at some time in the future along with reflections on his life and instructions following his death.
The cause of his death was asphyxia due to hanging. His medical records confirmed he had no previous mental health history.
Following his death, a referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to the short amount of time between being released from police custody and his death. It concluded that each time he had been in custody he had been seen by a mental health practitioner and no concerns were raised, and he had refused to engage with external services or agencies.
The report concluded there had been a high level of safeguarding and stated: “It is arguable contact with police may have contributed to the decision to take his life but it’s difficult to see what more reasonably could have done to safeguard him in the circumstances.”
St Peter’s deputy headteacher Jonny Baker told in a statement how police had emailed the school to notify them Mr Ruff had been arrested for a second time and said the school had done ‘all it could’ to provide pastoral support. Recording a conclusion of suicide, senior coroner Philip Spinney said: “Undoubtedly the police investigation and suspension from work contributed to his death.
“On the balance of probabilities, he took his own life and intended to do so.” At the end of the inquest, Mr Ruff’s family thanked all those who had supported him.
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