The Shortos describe the gradual advent of depression in Davids' life as he increasingly missed his wife and three children.
He came to live with us and was tolerably happy on and off, but pined for his wife and three children. When he contacted the priests to say he was truly sorry and to express full repentance they replied that they hadn't in mind to review his case at present. This went on for months and Dave became more and more depressed; they had been such a happy and united family, very musical and full of fun.
Eventually he tried to end his own life by taking an overdose of medication. This attempt had a mildly amusing ending as my wife Eunicé went to wake him up, having missed him. He peered groggily at her and didn't seem to know who she was. Later he confided that he thought he had died and that she was an angel, so Eunicé commiserated with him that he must have been terribly disappointed that it was only her after all!
Dave was taken to hospital and recovered for a while but was held in the psychiatric ward which he found very humiliating.
- The Shortos
David, prior to these events, had been known as a happy man, 'full of life'. The inquest was told that David Beech had once been a "witty, lively man who liked performing George Formby songs to entertain his friends".
