A Domestic Homicide Review has been published into the tragic case of a Teesside mum who took her own life and killed her disabled son after being told she had just days to live
A mum killed her disabled son and then herself after finding out she had days to live. The tragedy came to light following a review into the case of Teeside mum, Shirley Nunn, and her 50-year-old son Stephen.
Shirley took a deliberate overdose of prescribed medication and gave a lethal dose to her son, after she was given the grim prognosis of her condition. Their bodies were found by a relative in Stephen’s room at their Brambles Farm home in Middlesbrough.
The subsequent investigation revealed that more could have been done to provide emotional support to Mrs Nunn after her terminal cancer diagnosis.
The Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) suggested that she must have felt utterly helpless, without alternative options for her son’s care.
At 67, Mrs Nunn was the dedicated carer for Stephen, who had significant mental and physical disabilities stemming from a catastrophic accident at age 11 which left him with a severe brain injury.
The report painted Mrs Nunn as a “loving and caring” mother within a tight-knit, supportive family network. Diagnosed with stage three cancer in July 2021. She was informed a month later that it was incurable, reports Teesside Live.
By October, an A&E visit confirmed the lung cancer had metastasised to her brain, spine and pelvis. Arrangements were being made for palliative care at home for her final days.
The agencies involved with the case noted the mum’s concerns for her son’s wellbeing as her health failed, but nothing hinted at her intention to end both her and her child’s lives.
Tragically, two days post-discharge from the hospital on October 24, Cleveland Police received a call about the dire situation at her home from her sister. Mrs Nunn had been mourning her husband Paul, who passed from cancer in October 2019, and the devastating incident coincided with the anniversary of his passing.
In response to the heartbreaking event, an independent chair led a DHR, initiated by the Middlesbrough Community Safety Partnership.
Detailed findings are now accessible via Middlesbrough Council’s site, albeit the names have been altered to “June and John” for the report which states: “June had cared for and loved her son throughout his life and without question had always prioritised his needs.”
Back when she was admitted to the hospital in September 2021, and during subsequent October appointments, Mrs Nunn displayed “increasing signs of emotional instability”, being notably distressed and shedding tears as she contemplated her worsening health.
The report indicates that potential pivotal moments went unseized while she was hospitalised, missing chances to assess her psychological state and her care needs, and also failing to communicate these issues properly with Adult Social Care services.
Cleveland Police conducted an investigation into the case, with the findings presented to the Teesside Coroner. An inquest held in January 2022 determined that Mr Nunn’s death was due to a deliberate overdose of medication, while his mother’s death resulted from a combination of metastatic non-small cell carcinoma of the right lung and a deliberate overdose of medication.
Derrick Laing of Sancus Solutions, the independent chair and author of the DHR report, acknowledged that while agencies provided a professional service and a “caring and supportive” environment, they missed the urgency in addressing Mrs Nunn’s psychological and care needs due to the severity of her cancer.
The report highlighted that “June had cared for her son for over 40 years and there were no indicators domestic abuse ever featured in their relationship, so it is to be expected that agencies involved were not considering risk. However, there was a missed opportunity to consider full carer needs, carer stresses in relation to diagnosis and informed planning and decisions with extended family and agencies regarding long term plans for John in a timely way.”
Furthermore, the report stated: “There was nothing to indicate June’s intention to die by suicide and take her son’s life. This was a very difficult and distressing case and the panel recognise the impact this has had on family members and professionals who worked with both John and June throughout their lives.”