A teenage girl who got married at 17 and had a child aged 18, wrote “today I will die” in her diary before hanging herself after she became overcome by post-natal depression.
Saffie Johnson, 19, had been determined to be a wife and mother despite her young age but found herself struggling to cope with parenthood after splitting up with her husband Daniel at a very young age.
After moving back in with her mother, step father and brother, Saffie left a note in her pink diary reading 'today I will die' before taking her own life at home after her relatives had gone out for the day.
She was found dead that evening by her younger brother as he arrived home from college.
Police examined Saffie's diary following the tragedy in October last year to find notes to loved ones and she had also penned a letter to be given to her one year old son on his 18th birthday.
At a Manchester inquest Saffie's estranged husband Daniel Johnson, a company driver, 22, broke down in tears as he said: ''I tried as best I could to help her to overcome her depression but the pressure of having a baby was too much for her.
The hearing was told Saffie, from Wythenshawe, Gtr Manchester, who was studying for a career in childcare had married Mr Johnson in 2013 just two weeks after they met.
Saffie was a beautiful woman who battled with depression
He told the inquest:
''I suggested waiting because Saffie was very young at just 17. But she was adamant. She was young, but she had her own mind and knew exactly what she wanted out of life.
"Two weeks after we met, we got married.
“She had been depressed for many years, but it worsened when she had our child. She became paranoid and her moods were very low.
“She loved him but it was too much for her. I believe she was suffering with postnatal depression, but she always refused to visit her doctor.
''She tried to choke herself with electrical cables on five occasions. She tried to drink bleach on another occasion.
“She even tried to drown herself, but I found her in the bathroom before she could. She worried about our finances. She often cried to me because we didn't have a lot of furniture.
''I worked hard to make more money, so that we could have a better life. But I believe that is when our relationship began to break down. I was working so much and communication became an issue.
“Every time we argued, she tried to take her own life. She told me she wanted to die. She wished she was dead. I would have done anything to make sure she got the professional care and support she needed."
The hearing was told Saffie had sought the help of mental health support service The Sanctuary, prior to her death.
Sandra Kempster, a support worker said: "She had called a non-emergency number and said she needed help.
"By the end of our visit, her mood had lifted significantly.
“She was laughing and chatting about her son and how well he was doing. She told me she was happy to go home and she said she would attend a support group for people with depression."
Recording a verdict of suicide, assistant coroner Jean Harkin said:
"It is clear that Saffie had made many attempts on her own life in the past, usually after arguments. It is clear that she was depressed, as a cause of her relationship breaking down following the birth of her child.
"I would like to offer my most sincere condolences to her parents, to her brother, to her family and friends and to Daniel."
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