Mother who 'could not go on without son' kills herself after his death in fire

A devoted mother took her own life after she refused to forgive herself for the death of her eight-year-old son in a house fire, an inquest heard.

Kelly-Anne Carter, 35, had woken up at 3am on October 30 last year to find her home in Sandbach, Cheshire, ablaze.

The inquest heard she fell asleep after lighting candles while drinking wine.

She tried to rescue Lucas - trapped in an upstairs bedroom - but was beaten back by the flames and the youngster died in hospital the following morning.

Two weeks after the fire - and while-guilt stricken at being unable to save her child whom she called "her world and her best" - Miss Carter, who herself suffered severe burns, drank brandy then hanged herself at the home of Andrew Hough, 33, her boyfriend, who was asleep in bed, on November 12.

Coroner Claire Welch

It emerged that earlier she had described herself as a "dead woman walking" and told a hospital doctor: "I will feel responsible and no one will be able to stop that. I can't live without my son."

Sarah Blakely, her best friend, said: "She didn't want to be here without Lucas. She couldn't forgive herself and didn't want to be here without him.

"To her he was her greatest achievement and he was an absolute credit, a lovely little boy."

Recording a verdict of suicide, coroner Claire Welch said: "I can't avoid the clear background picture and the evidence in terms of the significance of Lucas' death for Kelly and she felt she would not be able to go on without Lucas.

"I can't imagine the distress and trauma she must have been going through at this time after losing her only child."

The coroner added: "Given the clear loss she was feeling, I'm satisfied that she did intend to take her life.

"To have lost Lucas and then Kelly in such short succession is unimaginable in my opinion."

Investigations into the fire are ongoing and the cause is currently unknown.