'Fear of jail drove my Windsor fiancé to suicide'

Daniela Rossi, 48, hanged herself in the courtyard of her Windsor home on November 15, 2021 – two days after losing her job as a cleaner, the court was told.

Fiance Denis Vincent, from Reading, said she had been consumed by an unfounded fear of prison after another driver claimed she speeded, mounted a curb and almost hit a parked car.

“I’m an emotional wreckage,” said Denis, who turned 50 on Sunday – his first birthday without Daniela, whom he met online in 2016.

“She was afraid of going to jail – it was all she was saying to me.

“‘I’m going to go jail, I’m going to go to jail, I’m going to go to jail’ – she was a different person.”

He continued: “It was just consuming her mind and she was just focused on that.”

Daniela Rossi, photographed by Denis Vincent (Image: Denis Vincent)

Denis explained he would reassure her each day that she was not going to be imprisoned, but the next day her fears would return.

“I am still grieving badly. I think mental health is a key disease that we need to be taking care of very seriously.

“I feel people don’t take it too much seriously when it has not happened to them and I don’t want this to happen to anyone, not even my worst enemy.”

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Daniela, of King’s Road, had worked as a cleaner for five years when she was promoted on October 22 to part of the mobile team at the same company and given a van, the inquest heard.

On November 2, her boss received a complaint from a member of the public that alleged she was seen driving “erratically” at 50mph in a 30mph zone, "indicating without turning and almost hitting a parked car", the court heard.

She was suspended the next day and found out she had been dismissed on November 13 for gross misconduct for the complaint and for not disclosing she had a hearing impairment before driving the van.

Daniela was taken to Wexham Park Hospital on November 4 after calling the emergency services to report suicidal thoughts. An advanced mental health practitioner determined she was not a high or immediate risk to herself.

“She disclosed that she was having disciplinary proceedings at work and she did identify that to be the main cause of her current stress,” he told the court.

This was one of three occasions in the weeks prior to her death that Daniela, who had no prior mental health diagnosis, had been deemed a low risk, the court heard.

On October 28 and November 5, she was assessed by NHS Talking Therapies, having referred herself to the service on October 11, the court was told.

“Even to him [Denis], the person who knew her best in the world, there was no indication of what was about to happen,” said coroner Alison McCormick.

Denis said: “The tunnel was too dark for her, she could not see any lights. She said ‘I’m going to go to jail’ and I think [she thought] better go kill myself than they get me.”

On a bench in Forbury Gardens, he pointed to a custom-made hoody on which was printed a picture of he and Daniela, and said the first thing he noticed about her when they met in 2016 was her smile.

“She was like fresh air,” he said.

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“When I was down she was my boost and she would bring me back up. At the end of her life it was the other way around and she was completely different.”

He added: “She was mentally not the same person I knew before.”

Office for National Statistics figures show 17 deaths from suicide were registered in Reading in 2021 – up from 12 the year before – and nine in Windsor and Maidenhead.

“It is painful, losing someone by suicide, there’s no way I can describe it,” said Denis.

“Don’t be afraid of reaching out if you are feeling low today, don’t be afraid of calling Samaritans, just reach out to somebody because I really don’t want to wish on my worst enemy what I have endured.”

Samaritans helpline

If you've been impacted by today's events, Samaritans is a confidential emotional support service for anyone in the UK and Ireland.

The service is available 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide.

Call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email them at jo@samaritans.org.

If you’re a young person who is having thoughts of suicide, or if you are are concerned for a young person who might be, you can also contact Papyrus' HOPELINEUK for confidential support and practical advice.

Call 0800 068 4141, text 07860039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org.

If you have seriously harmed yourself or you feel that you may be about to harm yourself, call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E.