A decorated Royal Navy sailor killed himself after losing his ‘dream home’ when he complained about a low fence and the developer refused to sell it to him, an inquest has heard.
Petty Officer Rob Minshull was furious after a £375,000 property in Cornwall was taken off the market when he questioned its 4ft fence, which was 2ft smaller than other homes on the development.
Mr Minshull, an Afghan war hero, and his wife Kerry feared it would allow people at a nearby Tesco store in Helston to see their two young daughters playing in the paddling pool in the garden.
Within days the developer had refused to sell them the property, withdrawing it from the market only to put back on for £75,000 more shortly afterwards. David Martin, of Graceloft Ltd, told his local paper at the time: ‘I increased the price to sell it again, but that’s only business. I don’t feel I’ve done anything wrong.’
Mrs Minshull told her husband’s inquest in Truro, Cornwall, this week that he ‘could not get past our losing the house’ in 2021. It sent him further down a depression spiral, which rising mortgage rates had also contributed to.
Mrs Minshull told the coroner Emma Hillson: ‘This had a huge effect on Rob. He started drinking more and he could not get past the way we lost the house.’ The couple had spent £10,000 on fees, legal costs and even furniture when the sale collapsed.
In December 2021 the 42-year-old, his wife and two daughters later moved to another property in Helston, Cornwall, but he considered it to be ‘second best’.
Mrs Minshull told the coroner: ‘Rob was the life and soul, everyone loved him. He was a brilliant husband and father and would do anything for anyone.’
She had earlier said the family had spent thousands of pounds on fees and goods for the four-bedroom new home. They had also paid for custom wardrobes and blinds.
She said in 2021: ‘It’s just broken my family completely. I’d never wish this to happen to anybody.’
Mr Minshull lost sleep and his appetite and was drinking more alcohol as a result of not buying the house. In October last year his wife found him hanged in the garage of that house early one morning.
The inquest heard Mr Minshull was also suffering with other stresses.
The aircraft engineer, who had joined the Royal Navy aged 17 and had served for 25 years on ships including HMS Illustrious and served in Afghanistan in 2009-10, was offered a promotion to Chief Petty Officer which he did not want.
