Jack Ritchie death: Gambling addiction began as teen, inquest hears

A 24-year-old teacher who took his own life while battling a gambling addiction had been betting since was a teenager, an inquest has heard.

Hull University graduate Jack Ritchie, who was originally from Sheffield, died in Hanoi, Vietnam, in November 2017.

Since his death Mr Ritchie's parents, Charles and Liz, have both campaigned for gambling industry reform.

A two-week inquest at Sheffield Town Hall will examine the role gambling played in Mr Ritchie's death.

In a statement heard at the inquest, a friend of Mr Ritchie described how they were both still underage when they began going to bookmakers when they were sixth formers at just 16 or 17 years old.

Nick Clough said at first they gambled small amounts on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.

He said Mr Ritchie would try and double his cash "to get a free lunch", but he added: "With Jack, it became more than that."

Mr Clough said his friend had once won £1,000 in under 30 seconds and after that his attitude changed as he began chasing his losses and looking for a big win.

Other witnesses described how no-one had realised the extent of Mr Ritchie's problems until his death on 22 November 2017 while he was in Vietnam teaching English.

Other evidence revealed Mr Ritchie had been a regular visitor to the BetVictor online gambling site in the days before his death.

The Ritchies believe it is the first so-called Article 2 inquest in a case relating to suicide following gambling.

This means its scope will include an examination of whether any arm of the state breached its duty to protect Mr Ritchie's right to life.

His parents have argued there were no public health warnings about the risk to life posed by gambling products.

They also say their son was not diagnosed or offered treatment which linked his symptoms to the disorder.

Senior Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said the evidence heard during the inquest would cover areas including what information was available to Mr Ritchie and his family about the risks of gambling and what medical treatment was available to him.

He said his examination would include "whether gambling caused or contributed" to his death.

Mr Urpeth acknowledged that the Ritchies had wanted the inquest to examine government gambling policy more widely.

But he said: "I do not want the family to think I am disinterested in their wider concerns, it's just that such concerns are beyond the power invested in me."

The inquest began with a video montage of moments from Mr Ritchie's life, after which his father gave a pen-portrait of his son.

Charles Ritchie described his son as a "fine young man on the threshold of his life" who "brightened the lives of everyone around him".

The inquest is also expected to hear evidence from senior officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Gambling Commission.

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