Former Shropshire man died of morphine overdose after Jeremy Kyle Show appearance, inquest told
Jeremy Kyle Show guest Steve Dymond, who used to live in Shropshire, died of a morphine overdose and a heart problem, a pre-inquest review has heard.
The 63-year-old construction worker was found dead at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on May 9 last year, shortly after attending a recording of the axed ITV show.
Mr Dymond, who for a time lived in Roden, had gone on the programme to take part in a lie detector test to show he had not been cheating on his fiancee, Jane Callaghan, from Gosport, from whom he had recently split.
Afterwards, he had said he was worried about the repercussions of the show and the subsequent rumours, and Detective Sergeant Marcus Mills, of Hampshire Police, told a previous inquest hearing that the death was a suspected suicide.
Hampshire Coroner Jason Pegg told Friday’s hearing that the cause of Mr Dymond’s death was a morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy, which is when the left chamber of the heart is not pumping properly.
But Mr Pegg, who held the hearing via video-link, was forced to abandon the hearing because of technical difficulties.
Media and members of the public, including Ms Callaghan and Mr Dymond’s cousin, Gerald Brierley, were unable to hear the proceedings, which were being relayed by telephone.
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Mr Pegg said: “It’s inappropriate to continue. It is necessary for the pre-inquest review to be heard in public and, when people dialling in cannot hear proceedings in full, it’s not a public hearing.”
It had been expected that the hearing would organise a date and scope for the full inquest but instead the case was adjourned for a further review hearing on October 29 or 30.
The hearing had been attended by counsel for Mr Dymond’s family, ITV, Southern Health and Mr Dymond’s GP.
Mr Pegg added: “I appreciate it’s caused distress to the family but, sadly, when we embarked on this pre-inquest review it was hoped it would be effective, but sadly it wasn’t.”
The Jeremy Kyle Show was axed amid growing scrutiny of the duty of care that reality TV shows have to participants following the death of Mr Dymond and former Love Island contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis.
Media watchdog Ofcom is currently revising and expanding a proposed set of rules to protect the welfare of participants on TV and radio shows.
It is carrying out a consultation over changes to the Broadcasting Code, which will safeguard participants in reality shows, documentaries, talent contests and other forms of factual and entertainment programmes.
A 29-page report published on Friday March 13 proposes the expansion of Section 7 of the Code, about Fairness and Privacy, and the creation of a “risk matrix” to help broadcasters assess what level of care participants might need.
