Axed worker, 27, driven to suicide

A YOUNG father killed himself just months after losing his job at JCB and plunging into debt.

Distraught relatives today revealed how 27-year-old Lee Kelsall, from Longton, had been struggling to find other work and felt like a failure for not being able to provide for his family.

The former paint technician, who spent more than five years at JCB's Cheadle plant, was made redundant in November as part of a wave of job losses linked to the economic downturn.

Lee was found hanged on Sunday, at the Anchor Road house he shared with partner Samantha Whitfield and their two-year-old son Jack. He had been home alone at the time and it is thought a neighbour raised the alarm.

Paramedics battled to re-start his breathing and took him to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, where he was placed on a ventilator.

He died yesterday morning, without regaining consciousness.

Lee's father, Tony Kelsall, from Sandford Hill, who is a digger driver, said today: "He had loved his job and lived for it.

"I'm extremely angry with the way lads like him were just thrown on the scrapheap.

"Now I've got a two-year-old grandson with no dad."

Lee's family believe there should have been more support offered to people losing their jobs, including counselling.

But they admit he had been too proud to apply for benefits.

His redundancy pay-out went on several mortgage payments and within a couple of months the money had dried up.

Despite Samantha working as a care assistant, her wages were not enough to cover their bills.

Lee's brother, Philip Kelsall, who lives in Longton, said: "Before he lost his job, he had been happy. His friends at work were his friends outside of work. He lost that bit of camaraderie.

"But the problems were mainly driven by the lack of money. We know he had a mortgage of at least £150,000 and some loans.

"It got to the stage where he didn't open letters because he knew what they were and couldn't pay.

"He had mentioned he was suicidal to me before.

"I had told him to look at what he would be leaving behind, and how selfish it would be to Jack.

"In that instance, nothing happened.

"There was a period after that when he was fine. On Saturday night, he seemed as happy as Larry. Yet on Sunday morning, he was not."

Lee's family say he had been a loving family man and also close to his six-year-old nephew Dylan, who suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy.

He last saw his son on Sunday before the youngster went to visit his grandparents. Jack's last words to him were: "Love you daddy, love you to bits."

Lee's twin sister Donna said: "Lee was a typical lad, who loved his motorbikes.

"Jack's a 'mini me' version of him.

"But when Lee lost his job, he isolated himself from everybody."

Lee, who had worked since leaving Edensor High, in Longton, had applied for numerous other jobs in recent months.