Lancashire family left with hundreds of questions after 'happy' 26-year-old man takes his own life

Jake Broughton, 26, a trainee electrician from Barnoldswick, took his own life on November 11, 2023.

Appearing on Channel 5’s ‘Cause of Death’, his family said “everything appeared normal” in the days leading up to his death.

Holly, Jake’s sister, said she had received a text that day to say he hadn’t gone to work and his colleagues had not heard from him.

She decided to call her partner and ask him to check on Jake at his flat. It was there where his body was sadly discovered.

“I called him about ten minutes later and he said it’s not good,” she said.

“I ran outside in my pyjamas, got my neighbour to watch the girls and ran up there as fast as I could.

“He’s never said anything. He’s always been happy. We didn’t think there’d be anything wrong.”

Jake was nicknamed ‘Funcle’ for being the ‘fun uncle’ to his nieces and nephews.

He was described as a “lovely lad with a big personality” by his family, but he rarely spoke out about his mental health.

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His girlfriend, Olivia, said: “He was so daft and he always made me smile.

“I loved everything about him. He was my best friend. We were always together.

“He very rarely spoke about how he felt. Maybe every now and again he would express a few concerns, but comments about his mental health or being unhappy were very few and far between.”

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, conducted an examination of Jake’s body to make sure there was no evidence of third party involvement.

He also ordered samples to be taken for the toxicology lab.

He said: “Toxicology is often important in situations like this to try and ascertain whether there were any drugs in the system of the deceased at the time of his death.

“When it happens completely out of the blue, I think it must be so hard to deal with for all those concerned, and it is massively sad.”

At Jake’s inquest, Senior Coroner Dr James Adeley concluded his cause of death was suicide.

“This is an extremely tragic outcome, but it’s a recurrent theme in the way young men take their lives,” he said.

“Suicide is the leading cause of death amongst males under 35 years of age in the UK.

“It is something that needs to be addressed in order to prevent tragic cases like Jake’s occurring again.”

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Jake’s mum, Tina, said she believed men have been “conditioned not to speak and keep their feelings inside”.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s okay to talk when we’re not okay.

“He had everything going for him. Literally everything. Jake was such a lovely lad with a big personality.”

Jake’s dad, Keith, said he “always seemed so full of life”.

“We had only seen him less than a week before. Everything appeared normal,” he said.

“Why didn’t he ask or talk to anybody? Why didn’t he ring me up? There’s not gonna be any answers and that’s just what we’re gonna have to live with.”

Olivia said “there is a big problem with men and mental health”.

She said: “You really have no idea the depths of what is going on in somebody’s mind.

“I had no idea how intense these feelings and thoughts were. I didn’t know. Nobody knew, otherwise we would have definitely driven him to have done more.

“There is always an answer. Everyone would have solved every problem that Jake had, just to have him here.

“If I could turn the clock back I would do so many things differently but I can’t change what’s happened. I’ve lost my best friend.”

Andy’s Man Club is a men's suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the UK.

The charity's group is to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and create a judgment-free, confidential space where men can be open about the storms in their lives.

It was first started in 2016 following the death of a young man called Andy Roberts.

Alex McClinktock, from Andy’s Man Club, said: “We just wanted to stop other families going through that loss and devastation and encourage a conversation.

“As men, we’re bad at talking about the stuff that we need to talk about because we’re not brought up like that.

“So I think it’s important to normalise a conversation about mental health, and particularly suicide, because it’s still seen as a taboo subject.”

Lancashire Police thanked the family for sharing their story, and urged anyone who was struggling to find support.

“Tonight, you may have watched the first episode of Cause of Death on Channel 5, which told the story of Jake, who took his own life last year,” a spokesman for the force said.

“We know that this will have been a really hard watch, and we want to let you know how to and who to reach out to for support, if it has affected you in any way.

“If you need immediate support, you can call the crisis line 24/7 on 0800 953 0110.

“Alternatively, you can call 999 or go to your nearest accident and emergency department.

“To Jake’s family and loved ones: thank you for telling his story. Our thoughts remain with you, and all those who lost a loved one during the filming of this series.”

For more information, visit Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s website here: https://lscft.nhs.uk/

You can watch the full documentary at: https://www.channel5.com/show/cause-of-death/season-3/episode-1