An inquest has concluded that 19-year-old student Arthur Soames took his own life due to mental health distress exacerbated by gambling. Jesse Nicholls represented Arthur’s family at the inquest.
Concluding the inquest into Arthur’s death, HM Assistant Coroner Ian Arrow found that the risk of harm which was posed to Arthur by his gambling was not identified by Bet365 (the operator that Arthur gambled with), and that mental health services failed to identify an increased risk of self-harm in the period leading up to his death.
The Coroner indicated that he anticipated addressing a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Gambling Commission. The inquest is the fifth since 2022 to record the contribution of gambling to a death.
Jesse Nicholls, instructed by Merry Varney and Dan Webster with Helena Hart-Watson of Leigh Day, acted for Arthur’s family.
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