Mental patient's Tube jump mirrors friend's Archway death

Published: 4:50 PM February 22, 2009 Updated: 1:25 PM October 14, 2020

A SCHIZOPHRENIC man from Highgate killed himself by jumping in front of a Tube train while the balance of his mind was disturbed, a coroner has ruled. Liam Roche, 26, jumped onto the tracks in front of rush hour passengers at Oxford Circus station on Augu

A SCHIZOPHRENIC man from Highgate killed himself by jumping in front of a Tube train while the balance of his mind was disturbed, a coroner has ruled.

Liam Roche, 26, jumped onto the tracks in front of rush hour passengers at Oxford Circus station on August 13, 2008, just days after his friend had done the same thing at Archway station, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.

At the time of the tragedy Mr Roche, of Petherton Road, was an inpatient at Highgate Mental Health Centre after being sectioned for his own safety in March 2008.

His consultant psychiatrist Dr Nigel Lester said: "He was a very likeable man. He was very sociable and had a number of strengths.

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"At that point he was accepting treatment and I was optimistic he would move on. I was aware he had quite a rocky time prior to that. At the point of his death he seemed to have gained an insight and seemed to have become more reflective about his situation."

Mr Roche was a keen Arsenal fan who had studied English literature and sociology at Bristol Univer-sity but dropped out in his second year after developing schizophrenia.