No 'casual link' between Jeremy Kyle Show and Steve Dymond death, inquest rules
An inquest into the death of a man who appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show before dying of an overdose concluded today. Coroner Jason Pegg said there is “no causal link” between the appearance of Steve Dymond on the show and his death.
Pegg said: “There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied that this was the direct cause of Steve’s death.” Mr Dymond, 63, from Portsmouth in Hampshire, is believed to have taken his own life seven days after filming for the ITV show in May 2019.
The Winchester inquest heard how Mr Dymond was "booed" by the audience during the filming after a lie detector test suggested he'd lied when he said he hadn't cheated on partner Jane Callaghan. As reported by the Mirror, the inquest was also told after filming finished, Mr Dymond had told a researcher: "I wish I was dead."
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Presenter Jeremy Kyle defended his presenting style during his evidence at the inquest, saying "it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest". Mr Kyle told Winchester Coroner's Court clips from the programme featuring the case of Mr Dymond and his partner, Jane Callaghan, showed he had "de-escalated... calmed it down".
He also denied encouraging the audience to take against Mr Dymond, telling the inquest: "Not at all I asked them to give them a round of applause." The court was shown a number of clips from the show, including Mr Kyle telling Mr Dymond: "Be a man, grow a pair of balls and tell her the goddam truth."
Another featured the presenter asking "Has anyone got a shovel?" as Mr Dymond attempted to explain why he had been messaging another woman. A further clip showed Mr Kyle saying: "The studio thought you were telling the truth, I wouldn't trust you with a chocolate button, mate."
Jeremy Kyle has described how the “false accusations” against him since Dymond’s death had taken a “huge toll on him and his family”.
In a statement released after the inquest, he said: “His Majesty’s Coroner has today clearly and unequivocally found that Jeremy Kyle did not in any way cause or contribute to the tragic suicide of Steve Dymond. He is now exonerated of that ill-informed accusation and his name has finally been cleared.
“Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last 5 1/2 years. This has taken a huge toll on him and his family and he would like to thank everyone who has truly supported him through these tough times.”
Dismissing The Jeremy Kyle Show as a “direct cause of Steve Dymond’s distress”, coroner Jason Pegg said: “These accounts are not supported with any independent expert evidence to evaluate the impact of his treatment on the show. It would be unsafe to infer these links in the absence of a clear and reliable causal connection.
“Steve Dymond’s participation in the show is one of a number of factors, and whilst possible that the manner experience added to his distress it is not probable. The weight which can be attached to these accounts must be balanced with the other evidence available in the aftermath of the show including Steve Dymond’s own reliability, the evidence from witnesses and the rush recordings.
“Aftercare records indicate Steve Dymond was ’emotionally contained’ and expressed no dissatisfaction towards his treatment during the recording with a plan for follow-up CBT support.”
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