BBC manager who died after being hit by train on Hallowe’en believed Star Wars characters were ‘trying to contact her’
A BBC manager died after being hit by a train on Hallowe’en after she claimed characters from Star Wars were contacting her, an inquest heard.
Anne Barnsdale believed knights and Jedi from the Hollywood blockbuster films were speaking to her, and that she was being “mind f***ed” by the Jedi.
The 39-year-old had recently returned to work at the BBC World Service after giving birth to a baby girl, but experts have ruled she was not suffering from “baby blues” when she committed suicide.
Her husband, Jonathan Clark, told the inquest: "Anne described her feelings of being sleepy and of being Jedi mind-f***ed.
"None of these signs was picked up by the GPs."
Mrs Barnsdale’s GP, Dr Steve Simons, saw the mum days before her death, and wrote in his statement to the inquest that she was not delusional despite feeling mentally unstable.
He told the inquest: "She described to me having weird thoughts, for example communicating with the Jedi.
Anne described her feelings of being sleepy and of being Jedi mind-f***ed
Husband, Jonathan Clark
"We talked about this and she recognised herself that this was fiction and she was not delusional or psychotic at the time."
Dr Simons concluded the 39-year-old mum was not suffering post-natal depression even though the rapid deterioration in her mental wellbeing coincided with the early months of her baby daughter’s life.
He added: "I prescribed her some sleeping pills and attributed her stress to her busy job at the BBC.
"I did not diagnose her with post-natal depression."
Mrs Barnsdale had spent a “lazy morning” with her husband on the day of her death, having been for a walk and a coffee, but Mrs Barnsdale left the home while her husband was attending to their tot upstairs.
She was seen running in front of a train heading to Portsmouth from London Waterloo shortly afterwards.
Writing in a statement, train driver Trevor Mailey told the inquest: "We were travelling between 40mph and 50mph when I saw a figure wearing purple clothing crouched down by the left of the tracks.
"I blew the train's horn but she did not react to this so I slammed on the emergency brakes but we struck her.”
Mrs Barnsdale’s husband and sister Michelle insist the medics who saw her in the week leading up to her death should have done more to save her.
Mr Clark told the inquest in Woking, Surrey: "We believe that the system failed her as she made three cries for help over her last five days.
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"I will have to live with the fact that I could have done more to save her from killing herself and the doctors will have to live with that on their conscience as well.
"A baby girl has to go without a mother due to a lack of care it now seems."
Despite Mr Clark’s pleas, assistant Surrey coroner Anna Loxton insisted no one was to blame for Mrs Barnsdale’s death, the cause of which was ruled as multiple injuries sustained having been struck by a train.
She said: "I can only look from my role at what systems were there and I am satisfied people acted appropriately within those systems.”
"In this case I must consider suicide given the circumstances.
A baby girl has to go without a mother due to a lack of care it now seems
Husband, Jonathan Clark
"I am mindful of the evidence before me particularly of the CCTV footage footage from the train and of the drivers' witness accounts.
"Mrs Barnsdale was seen heading into the path of the train and it should be noted that the area where she was seen was not easily accessible from the road.
"It's seems very unlikely that Mrs Barnsdale could have wandered onto the tracks unintentionally or that she was trying to cross them at that point.
"It's tragic that despite seeking help and having further appointments booked that Mrs Barnsdale felt she had no option than to end her life on that day."
Mrs Barnsdale, of Goldalming, Surrey, was killed on railway lines running next to the A3100 Portsmouth Road, Goldalming, around 4.30pm on Saturday October 31 2015.
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