Coroner reveals Petersfield businessman suffered ‘psychotic depression’ after 50-year family business collapsed during Covid lockdowns
A respected market town jeweller was found hanged near his wife’s body at their Portsmouth home after his mental health “rapidly deteriorated” following the closure of his family business during the pandemic, a coroner heard today.
Christopher Stone-Houghton, 66, and his wife Ruth, 60, were discovered at their £500,000 semi-detached property in Holcot Lane, Anchorage Park, on September 14, 2022, after police were alerted to welfare concerns.
A pre-inquest review at Winchester Coroner’s Court heard that Mrs Stone-Houghton died from a fatal head injury, while paramedics’ attempts to revive her husband were unsuccessful.
From thriving business to devastating closure
The tragedy unfolded after Mr Stone-Houghton’s beloved T Constad & Son Jewellers in The Square, Petersfield – which he had run for around 20 years and worked at for half a century – was forced to permanently close in March 2022 due to pandemic pressures.
Hampshire assistant coroner Rachel Spearing KC told the hearing that post-mortem examinations found Mr Stone-Houghton died as a result of suspension, while his wife’s cause of death was recorded as a head injury.
Chris Stone-Houghton had sadly suffered with deterioration of his mental health,” Ms Spearing said. Those first signs emerged from the Christmas period of 2021 but active steps were taken around April 2022 by family members.”
‘Anxieties and challenges’ of lockdown
The coroner revealed that Mr Stone-Houghton had been “experiencing suicidal ideation” and felt “anxieties and challenges during Covid” which contributed to his declining mental state.
She explained that the 66-year-old received both inpatient and community care, spending a month in a psychiatric unit after a “serious incident” just six weeks before his death.
There was sadly a rapid and critical deterioration in Chris’s mental health,” Ms Spearing said. “Family and friends had continued to express concerns relating to the provision of care.”
Hospital care under scrutiny
A lawyer representing the family told the hearing there were “significant problems” with the hospital care given to Mr Stone-Houghton, particularly around medication monitoring and whether he was masking paranoid and delusional thoughts from staff.
The coroner noted: “Chris sadly didn’t have insight into his condition, he had been suffering from paranoia and there was concern to Chris’s compliance with medication.”
Ms Spearing confirmed there was no evidence of domestic abuse in the case and no firearm was used in either death, though the full inquest will examine issues around Mr Stone-Houghton’s gun licence.
Former employee: ‘One of the nicest people’
Staff who worked at the historic jewellery shop were left devastated by the news, with one former employee describing Mr Stone-Houghton as “one of the nicest, kindest people you’d ever meet.
The business had been a fixture in Petersfield’s town centre since 1997, serving generations of local families before the pandemic forced its closure after 25 years.
Armed police officers were called to the couple’s home on the Anchorage Park estate just before 10.30am on September 14, along with South Central Ambulance paramedics after reports of injuries to multiple people.
Son’s heartbreaking tribute
In a devastating online tribute, the couple’s son Oliver revealed his father had been diagnosed with “psychotic depression” in June 2022 – with no prior history of mental ill health.
“It’s hard to put into words how much I miss you both. I’m inexplicably devastated beyond belief,” he wrote on a fundraising page.
Oliver explained the diagnosis followed a “period of rapidly declining mental health in the lead up to and the closure of a business he had been a part of for over 50 years.
Covid’s cruel impact
The grieving son detailed how the pandemic had cruelly dismantled his father’s support network at a critical time.
“In the previous months, the coronavirus pandemic had removed many of the social ties Dad relied upon to relax and de-stress,” Oliver wrote, adding that lockdowns “brought about incredibly stressful rule changes for the business and also impacted another business my parents ran together.”
Tragically, he revealed his mother was “killed” and his father “ended his own life” during “another psychotic episode” – just a day after the couple had enjoyed a day out with friends.
‘Amazing parents’ remembered
In a family statement released through Hampshire Police, relatives remembered the couple as devoted parents who were known for their hard work and positive outlook.
“Not only were Chris and Ruth amazing parents to their two children, anyone who knew Chris and Ruth will know how hard they worked in so many parts of their lives and they were both known for their positivity and loveable sense of humour,” they said.
GP surgery concerns raised
The coroner also highlighted concerns about how the couple’s GP surgery, Craneswater Group Practice, had responded to “three requests properly made by the police” regarding Mr Stone-Houghton’s condition.
Multi-agency homicide and suicide reviews have been conducted into the deaths, with the full inquest scheduled to begin on December 8.
Ms Spearing said Mr Stone-Houghton was last seen by mental health services two days before the tragedy occurred.
Timeline of tragedy:
- Christmas 2021 – First signs of mental health deterioration emerge
- March 2022 – T Constad & Son Jewellers closes permanently after 25 years
- April 2022 – Family seek help as mental health declines rapidly
- June 2022 – Diagnosed with ‘psychotic depression’
- August 2022 – Discharged from month-long psychiatric unit stay
- September 14, 2022 – Bodies discovered at Portsmouth home
- December 8, 2025 – Full inquest scheduled to begin
