The pair met at school in Warwickshire but were found dead at a nature reserve in January 2022
Katherine Powell and Jack Williams.
Two Midland teenagers took their own lives after they were arrested for alleged possession of indecent images of children, an inquest jury found.
The bodies of Jack Williams, 18, and Katherine Powell, 17, who had an infant child together, were found at Bothenhampton nature reserve, near Bridport, Dorset, on the morning of January 25, 2022.
The Bournemouth inquest heard Mr Williams was first arrested on November 22, 2021 on suspicion of possessing an indecent image. He was then re-arrested, along with Katherine, on January 19, 2022 on suspicion of the same offence.
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The court heard neither Katherine nor the couple’s child was the subject of the alleged image.
The inquest heard Mr Williams was bailed not to have contact with any child under 16, including his own child, and Katherine was given the condition that she could only have supervised contact with her child.
For Katherine, the jury returned a conclusion of suicide with contributing factors including losing custody of her child, “alleged offences and separation from her partner”.
For Mr Williams, the jury also reached a conclusion of suicide and listed contributing factors as his “troubled childhood involving multiple suicide attempts and implication of repeated alleged offences of possessing indecent images”.
Coroner Brendan Allen told the inquest the pair met at Kenilworth School in Warwickshire in 2018 while Katherine was living between the homes of her separated parents. Mr Williams was initially living with his mother before being moved into “supported accommodation”.
The jury highlighted in its findings that concerns had been raised that Mr Williams had exhibited “controlling and coercive behaviour” over Katherine. The jurors said: “Katie’s mother visited the West Bay address on several occasions and observed Jack displaying elements of controlling and coercive behaviour.”
The inquest heard this included “Jack putting her down, he had isolated her from family and friends and primed her on how to behave and what to say in front of professionals”.
The jurors added that Katherine had also reported this behaviour to a social worker and said: “While Katie was living with her mother, she appeared to be back to her normal self until she renewed contact with him.”
They added that she was “vulnerable and in low mood” when released by police.
Mr Allen said that in May 2020, during the first Covid lockdown, Mr Williams moved into privately-rented accommodation and Katherine moved in with him three nights a week before the pair moved to West Bay, Dorset, in January 2021.
Mr Allen said Katherine was pregnant at the time. leading to a referral to children’s services.
The coroner said that after Mr Williams’ first arrest, he was released on bail with conditions he could not be in contact with his child which led to Katherine returning to her mother’s home in Warwickshire.
Mr Allen said police planned to arrest the pair on January 19 but Katherine was reported missing from home and was later found at Mr Williams’ address in West Bay.
He said after the pair were then both arrested and released on bail, Katherine, who was taken back to her father’s home, was told she could not have unsupervised contact with the child.
The coroner said Katherine disappeared on January 22 when she took a taxi in the early hours from Kenilworth back to West Bay.
Mr Allen said that when Katherine’s mother previously reported her missing on January 19 she had told police “she may do something daft like a suicide pact”.
A similar warning was also made to police by a social worker on January 24 who had urged police, who initially graded her risk level as medium, to raise the level to “very high risk” and the level was subsequently raised to the highest level which was “high risk”.
The coroner said he would be considering whether to issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report.
Addressing the families, who attended the hearing by videolink, Mr Allen said: “You have all, despite the unimaginably difficult circumstances, faced the whole process with dignity, resilience and courage and I want to thank you and finally I want to offer you my condolences as well.”
