Being a father entails protecting, providing for, and making your children feel comfortable. But what happens if the system you rely on fails?
Phillip Herron’s story is not only devastating, but it also serves as a stark warning of what may happen when a struggling parent is left alone with debt, fear, and silence from those who should be there to help.
A source of suffering.
Phillip Herron, a manufacturing worker and dedicated single father of three from Durham, England, died by suicide in 2019 with only $6 in his bank account.
He was just 34 years old.
What’s the reason? He had to wait weeks for his first Universal Credit payment, which proved too long, cruel, and sad.
Universal Credit is a UK government welfare initiative that aims to replace six previous benefits with a single monthly payment. It is intended to simplify the welfare system and encourage people to find work. However, for many, it has become a source of suffering.
Phillip Herron, like so many others struggling to make ends meet, was drowning in debt when he surreptitiously filed for Universal Credit, without informing his family of the severity of his situation.
The 34-year-old father was out of job and barely able to feed and dress his children. He was falling late on rent and had nearly $25,000 in debt, including payday loans with interest rates of more than 1,000%.
“The final straw”
Like countless others, I went to the UK’s Universal Credit system for assistance. Instead, he got quiet, delays, and rising debt.
The UK government introduced Universal Credit in 2013 with the goal of streamlining the benefits system. However, beyond the political promises lies a darker reality. New claimants must wait at least five weeks before getting any money. For individuals who are already in distress, this is a fatal wait.
“When people ask for help, they’re already desperate,” Philip’s mother, Sheena Derbyshire, explained. “Making them wait for this long? “It is dangerous.”
Philip found the waiting and pressure too much to handle.
“There’s no reason it should take this long. Phillip already had issues, but I believe this was the last straw,” Sheena added.
A complete shock for his family.
Phillip took a devastating selfie of himself in tears inside his car only hours before he died. There’s also a goodbye note.
The next day, on a secluded country road, he committed suicide.
His mother, Sheena Derbyshire, was caught off guard. “It was a total shock,” she told the Daily Mirror. “We had no idea how horrible it had gotten. In his note, he stated that the family would be better without him. “That broke me.”
Sheena uncovered the real truth after Phillip died: he was drowning in bank and utility debts. His home was on the verge of repossession. An eviction notification was tucked among his files.
Sheena went through his emails and voicemails. The voice messages were particularly harsh. “Listening to them,” she told me, “was the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever done.”
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His children were equally devastated. “The youngest keeps dreaming about him,” Sheena explained quietly. “She claimed she saw him. She implored him not to leave. “But when she awoke, he was gone.”
Sheena said that none of the children received therapy.
The public reaction has also been intense. When Philip’s tragic story became public, social media erupted with grief and hatred. According to one post, “Now another dead on their blood-soaked hands.” Another read: “You should hang your head in shame,” directed at the Department of Work and Pensions.
Why does she talk about it
Sheena feels that speaking up about her son’s suicide and its tragic impact on their family would help others who may be suffering in silence.
She answered, “You don’t just go out one day and kill yourself. There’s a buildup.
“So, please speak with someone. Do not let another family go through this. If you are unable to contact family or friends, there are people like Samaritans.”
Sheena hoped that the evidence she discovered would be used in a full inquest into Phillip’s death in Sacriston, County Durham, exposing the inadequacies in Universal Credit. However, it remained unclear whether she received justice in the case.
In response to the incident, a representative for the Department for Work and Pensions said, “Our thoughts are with Mr. Herron’s family.”
“Suicide is a very complex subject, and it would be incorrect to link it only to someone’s benefit claim.
“We are committed to safeguarding vulnerable claimants and keep guidance under constant review to provide the highest standard of protection.”
Not an isolated story.
Unfortunately, Phillip’s tale is not isolated. According to WSWS.org, his death is one of several linked to the UK’s Universal Credit system.
Stephen Smith, a chronically ill man weighing only six stone, was deemed “fit to work” in 2019 before passing away shortly after.
The same year, Joy Worrall, an 81-year-old pensioner, committed suicide by plunging into a quarry after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) froze her pension benefits, leaving her with only $6.
The inquiry revealed that she was “too proud” to communicate her financial troubles with her family, preferring to live on her money. When her savings ran out, leaving her with only $6, she made the terrible decision to jump into a 40-foot quarry. Martin John Counter, 60, took his own life after being falsely accused of benefit fraud.
Phillip’s final months depict a guy doing everything he could to hold on—for his children, his sanity, and a life that was being torn out from beneath him.
Unfortunately, he believed that the bureaucracy disregarded him, and it proved fatal. Finally, his bereaved mother, Sheena, makes a plea to British authorities:
“If this doesn’t change,” she mused, “he won’t be the last.”