Man Who Survived Suicide Pact Jailed For Killing Girlfriend
David Cole, 36, and Leoni Roberts, 28, allegedly made a suicide pact. Roberts died as a result, but Cole survived. Cole had stolen money and items from the pub where he was employed so that he could purchase the items needed to complete their pact. He bought a car and two canisters of carbon dioxide. On the morning of June 28, 2013, the couple laid down in the car parked on a lay-by in Cornwall to carry out the pact. Passers-by reported seeing the car to the police who investigated. Cole explained the failed pact and told them that Roberts’ body was under bedding in the back of the car along with her diary, according to METRO.
The court heard testimony about Roberts’ suffering from depression and having past suicide attempts and even having a prior overdose. The couple had been in an on-and-off relationship for about five years. In the days prior to exercising the suicide pact, they went to London and stayed in hotels and gambled in casinos. They seemed to be happy at the time. But Roberts still texted Cole the following, according to The Guardian.
“Let’s kill ourselves together.”
In her diary, Roberts wrote that she enjoyed the last few days of her life and made it clear that the decision to commit suicide was her own, made while she was calm, and that Cole should not be blamed. She specifically wrote the following according to The Guardian. “Don’t blame him.” And the lawyer defending Cole, Richard Smith QC, noted that Roberts made the decision to die independently.
But the court found that Cole gave her the means to commit suicide and failed to dissuade her from to doing so. Judge Francis Gilbert QC Exeter Crown Court stated the following. “You must bear the responsibility for encouraging and assisting her to carry out her settled intent to kill herself. Your position should have been to dissuade her….He encouraged and assisted her to carry out her intention.”
Cole admitted to manslaughter and was sentenced to four years in jail. He must serve at least half of the sentence before being eligible for parole. Roberts’ friends and relatives tearfully exited from the courtroom.
Each person has a limit on what stress they can endure and, unfortunately, some individuals attempt or commit suicide if certain life events occur. A teen committed suicide after having a disagreement with his mother. Paul Bickle, 18, had OCD and suffered from clinical depression. He got into a disagreement about his PlayStation with his mother, Donna Brown, that escalated into shouting and swearing. Brown tried to get Bickle to calm down, but the fight intensified, and Bickle left the house and committed suicide from a nearby bridge, according to an article in the Inquisitr.
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