Being a father entails protecting, providing for, and making your children feel comfortable. But what happens if the system you rely on fails?
Phillip Herron’s story is a tragic warning of what can happen when a struggling parent is left alone with debt, fear, and silence from those who should help.
It is a source of immense distress.
Phillip Herron, a manufacturing worker and dedicated single father of three from Durham, England, died by suicide in 2019 with only $6 in his bank account.
He was just 34 years old.
What’s the reason? He had to wait weeks for his first Universal Credit payment, which proved too long, harsh, and sad.
Universal Credit is a UK government welfare initiative that aims to replace six previous benefits with a single monthly payment. It is intended to streamline the welfare system and encourage people to find jobs. However, for many, it has become a source of suffering.
Phillip Herron, like so many others struggling to make ends meet, was drowning in debt when he surreptitiously filed for Universal Credit without informing his family of the severity of his situation.
The 34-year-old father was out of a job and barely able to feed and dress his children. He was falling late on rent and had approximately $25,000 in debt, including payday loans with interest rates of more than 1,000%.
“The final straw”
Like countless others, I went to the UK’s Universal Credit system for assistance. Instead, he received quiet, delays, and rising debt.
The UK government introduced Universal Credit in 2013 with the goal of streamlining the welfare system. However, beyond the political promises lies a harsher reality. New claimants must wait at least five weeks before getting any money. For individuals who are already in distress, this is a fatal wait.
“When people ask for help, they’re already desperate,” Philip’s mother, Sheena Derbyshire, explained. “Making them wait for this long?” It is dangerous.”
Philip found the waiting and strain too much to handle.
“There’s no reason it should take this long. Sheena added, “Phillip already had issues, but I believe this was the final blow.”
It came as a complete shock to his family.
Phillip took a devastating photo of himself in tears inside his car only hours before he died. There’s also a goodbye note.
The next day, on a secluded country road, he committed suicide.
Sheena Derbyshire, his mother, was taken aback. “It was a total shock,” she told the Daily Mirror. “We had no idea how horrible it had gotten. In his message, he stated that the family would be better without him. “That broke me.”
After Phillip’s death, Sheena discovered the truth: he was overwhelmed by bank and utility obligations. His home was on the verge of foreclosure. Sheena found an eviction notification nestled among his files.
Sheena went through his emails and voicemails. The voice messages were particularly harsh. “Listening to them,” she told me, “was the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever done.”
His children were equally devastated. “The youngest keeps dreaming about him,” Sheena said quietly. “She said she saw him. She implored him not to leave. “But when she awoke, he was gone.”
Sheena said that none of the children got treatment.
The public reaction has also been intense. When Philip’s terrible story became public, social media erupted with grief and hatred. According to one post, “Now another person is dead because of their blood-soaked hands.” Another read, “You should hang your head in shame,” directed at the Department of Work and Pensions.
Why does she talk about it?
Sheena feels that speaking up about her son’s death and its tragic impact on their family would assist others who may be suffering in silence.
She answered, “You don’t just walk out one day and kill yourself. There’s a buildup.
“So, please speak with someone. Do not let another family go through this. If you are unable to contact your family or friends, you can reach out to organizations like the Samaritans for support.
Sheena hoped that the information she discovered would be used in a thorough inquest into Phillip’s death in Sacriston, County Durham, exposing the inadequacies in Universal Credit. However, it remained unclear if she obtained justice in the case.
In reaction to the incident, a representative for the Department for Work and Pensions said, “Our thoughts are with Mr. Herron’s family.”
“Suicide is a highly complex subject, and it would be incorrect to relate it only to someone’s benefit claim.
“We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable claimants and keeping guidance under constant review to provide the highest standard of protection.”
The narrative is not unique.
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Unfortunately, Phillip’s tale is not isolated. According to WSWS.org, his death is one of several linked to the UK’s Universal Credit system.
In 2019, the Department for Work and Pensions deemed Stephen Smith, a chronically sick man weighing barely six stone, “fit to work” before he passed away shortly after.
The same year, Joy Worrall, an 81-year-old pensioner, committed suicide by plunging into a quarry after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) froze her pension benefits, leaving her with only $6.
The inquiry heard that she was “too proud” to communicate her financial troubles with her family, preferring to live on her money. When her money ran out, leaving her with only $6, she made the terrible decision to leap into a 40-foot quarry. Martin John Counter, 60, committed suicide following a false accusation of benefit fraud.
Phillip’s final months depict somebody attempting everything he could to cling on—for his children, his sanity, and a life that was being torn out from beneath him.
Unfortunately, he believed that the bureaucracy ignored his struggles, and this belief ultimately led to his tragic decision. Finally, his bereaved mother, Sheena, appeals to British authorities:
“If the system doesn’t change,” she mused, “he won’t be the last.”