Teen couple took own lives after arrests, jury finds

Two teenage parents took their own lives after being troubled by circumstances including alleged offences against them, an inquest jury has found.

Jack Williams, 18, and Katherine Powell, 17, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, were arrested on 19 January 2022 on suspicion of possessing an indecent image of a child, the month-long inquest in Bournemouth was told.

Six days later, the couple's bodies were found at Bothenhampton nature reserve, near Williams' home in West Bay, Dorset.

Coroner Brendan Allen, who heard evidence from police and social services in the two counties, said he would consider writing a Prevention of Future Deaths Report.

Coventry-born Williams was previously arrested on suspicion of possessing an indecent image in November 2021, the court heard.

His bail conditions forced Katherine to move from Dorset to Warwickshire, where she was only allowed to have supervised contact with her child, the jury was told.

The pair were then re-arrested in 2022 on suspicion of the same offence.

The allegation did not involve images of Katherine or their child, the court heard.

On 22 January 2022, Katherine took a taxi in the early hours from Kenilworth back to West Bay.

A social worker urged police, who initially graded her risk as medium, to raise it to the highest level, the inquest was told.

However, the couple's bodies were found at the nature reserve early on 25 January.

Returning conclusions of suicide, the jury said factors including losing custody of her child and "alleged offences and separation from her partner" led to Katherine's death.

For Williams, the jury listed issues including his "troubled childhood involving multiple suicide attempts and implication of repeated alleged offences of possessing indecent images".

It also highlighted reports of Williams' "controlling and coercive behaviour" over Katherine.

Addressing the families, who attended the hearing by video link, the coroner said they had "faced the whole process with dignity, resilience and courage".

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by issues raised in this report, a list of organisations that can help is available via BBC Action Line.

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.