Oxford United ace Joey Beauchamp struggled with depression, alcohol addiction and financial difficulties in the months leading up to his death, an inquest heard this afternoon.

The 50-year-old former midfielder was found by his brother hanged in his home in Kingsway Drive, Kidlington, on February 19.

His brother, Luke, had gone to the house after growing concerned about texts sent the night before and that morning, which the former football professional had not answered.

An inquest into his death this afternoon heard that Mr Beauchamp had in the two months prior to his death told his GP and mental health professionals that, although reporting low mood, he did not plan to end his life.

Family and friends had tried to get him support. An unnamed friend and colleague sent an email to Oxford Health NHS Trust’s acute mental health team on January 12 asking them to see him, following up the referral a fortnight later.

Mr Beauchamp’s brother, Luke, also called NHS line 111 reporting concerns about his brother’s mental health, drinking and gambling. He also had a long conversation with his brother’s GP in January about his worries.

Oxford Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Beauchamp had a history of depression and anxiety going back to 2008, six years after his retirement from professional football.

In April 2020, Mr Beauchamp, who had previously spoken to the Oxford Mail about his struggles with depression, was admitted to the Warneford psychiatric hospital after an apparent attempt on his life. He was discharged the following month.

He contacted his GP at The Manor Surgery, Headington, last December reporting low mood following the breakdown of his marriage several weeks earlier. He was prescribed anti-depressants and continued to be in contact with his doctor until February 3, the date of the last entry in his medical record.

An anonymous email on January 12 prompted psychiatric nurse John Kelly of Oxford Health’s acute community mental health team to call Mr Beauchamp on January 28.

"He picked up the phone, sounded very confident he didn't seem anxious on the phone and I couldn’t hear any anxiety in his voice. He seemed very positive in what he was talking about,” Mr Kelly, a registered psychiatric nurse since 1999, told the inquest.

"He seemed to be okay, no problems. I still offered to come and see him, offered a face to face, but he declined.”

Mr Beauchamp said he was already in contact with various community services, including Turning Point.

Nurse Mr Kelly said he would text the former footballer the numbers for services and sent a note of his conversations to the GP.

“It’s very difficult to force somebody to see you if they don't want to see you,” he told the coroner. No formal referral was made by Mr Beauchamp’s GP to the Oxford Health mental health team.

Senior coroner for Oxfordshire Darren Salter recorded a conclusion of suicide. He expressed his condolences to Mr Beauchamp’s widow, Kelly, and his brothers Mark and Luke, who attended the inquest.

"I know there were and are a lot of tributes at the time from family and friends and also of course in relation to his successful career as a professional footballer. All of that is rightly on the public record,” Mr Salter said.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward