Inquest finds that former Newmarket jockey's overdose death in Bury St Edmunds last year was not a suicide

An inquest has heard that a man who overdosed on antidepressants last December was an ex-jockey who struggled with mental health following an accident in the stables.

Ray Smith, 43, was found dead at his partner’s home in Bury St Edmunds on the morning of December 20 last year.

He was found face-down on the sitting room floor by a friend who had been staying overnight.

Senior coroner Nigel Parsley, who led the inquest into Mr Smith’s death at Suffolk Coroner’s Court today, concluded that there was no evidence he had intended to kill himself.

Although Mr Smith had overdosed on a number of previous occasions, the coroner said he had immediately sought medical assistance each time.

Mr Parsley remarked of this: “If you take an overdose and then go to hospital, you are not intending your death, because you want somebody to help.”

Mr Smith had no fixed abode at the time of his death.

However, he had spent much of his life in Newmarket, working first as an apprentice jockey and then as a stableman.

The inquest heard that this career change came about after Mr Smith was kicked in the head by a horse.

He was subsequently told he would not be able to ride again.

Following this, Mr Smith’s mental health declined, leading to extensive contact with medical professionals.

Support workers spoke to Mr Smith less than 24 hours before he died, and reported that they found him in a “bright” mood, showing no signs of depression.

On the evening of December 19, Mr Smith attended his partner’s home in Howard Road, Bury, with a friend.

In a statement, the friend recalled going to bed before the couple, after a night of drinking.

The following morning, he woke up and went downstairs, where he found Mr Smith face-down on the sitting room floor.

Paramedics were called, but they were unable to save Mr Smith, who was pronounced dead at 8.32am.

Addressing the medical evidence in the case today, Mr Parsley said there was no reason to believe alcohol consumption played a significant role in the tragedy.

Police found Mr Smith surrounded by tablet packaging, and a post-mortem examination found antidepressants in his system.

Rounding off the inquest, Mr Parsley found that there was no reason to believe Mr Smith had intended to kill himself, although the coroner could not say for certain whether the overdose was accidental or a cry for help.

In a statement read in court today, his grieving family said of Mr Smith: “We remain, as we always were, very proud of him.”