Royal Navy engineer, 42, killed himself after 'losing' his dream home'

Father-of-two Royal Navy engineer, 42, killed himself after losing out on his family’s £375K dream new home ‘when developers refused to sell after he complained that the 4ft fence was too low’

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A decorated Royal Navy sailor and Afghan war hero killed himself because he ‘could not get past’ losing his ‘dream home’ after he complained about a low fence and the developer then 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 lower than other homes on the development.

Mr Minshull and his wife Kerry were concerned 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, so made a complaint. 

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.’

His wife Kerry told her husband’s inquest in Truro this week that Rob ‘could not get past our losing the house’.  The collapse of the house purchase in 2021 sent him further down a depression spiral, including about rising mortgage rates and the cost of living crisis.

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. 

Rob and Kerry Minshull lost their dream home over a fence and the veteran sailor never recovered from the stress, an inquest heard

A developer refused to sell Rob and Kerry Minshull their ‘forever home’ in Helston, Cornwall, when they complained the 4ft fence was 2ft too low. He would later take his own life

The couple were concerned that the lower fence at the four-bed new build would allow people from a nearby Tesco to see their two young daughters playing in the paddling pool in the garden. The developer took it off the market for £375,000 and returned it to the market for £75,000. He said at the time it was ‘only business’

In December 2021 the 42 year old and his wife and two daughters later moved to another property in Helston, Cornwall, but he considered it to be ‘second best’. 

Kerry 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.’ 

Kerry had earlier said the family had spent thousands of pounds on fees and goods for the four bedroomed 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.’

Rob lost sleep and his appetite and was drinking more alcohol as a result of losing the house. In October 2022 Kerry found Rob hanged in the garage of that house early one morning.

An inquest in Truro, Cornwall, heard Rob 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.

He was concerned about his children and the rising cost of living and mortgage rates and he told his teaching assistant wife about recent suicide attempts.

He had been prescribed anti-depressants by Navy doctors but he feared, wrongly, that he would be medically discharged out of the senior service – and so he stopped taking them and was allowed back to his responsible job on aircraft engineering.

On the night he killed himself, he had told Kerry that he loved her which she reciprocated and he went back to bed. But at 4am Kerry woke and Rob was not in bed – and she found him in the garage.

After losing the house, Mr Minshull also become increasingly worried about rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis

Rob, pictured with his wife and children, had been prescribed anti-depressants by Navy doctors but he feared, wrongly, that he would be medically discharged out of the senior service – and so he stopped taking them

Captain Stuart Irwin, Commanding Officer of the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose, Cornwall, where Rob was based for most of his career, told the inquest an investigation was held.

He said most people who are referred to the service’s medical board are not discharged from the Navy – but their perception of that may be different.

He said close friends and colleagues in Rob’s small unit did not see any change in his behaviour and were shocked by his death.

He said he had spoken about the failed house purchase and rising living costs but said of his comrades ‘none of them saw it coming’.

She said the house issue hugely impacted on Rob whose sleep and eating was badly affected and he drank more. She said his wife Kerry encouraged him to get help – and heard him on the phone to the Samaritans six weeks before he died – but he refused.

The assistant coroner Emma Hillson recorded a suicide conclusion. 

The family spoke to the press at the time the house sale collapsed.

Mrs  Minshull said she had sent a polite email to the builder saying: ‘I’m sorry to trouble you we’ve been to look at the property were really not happy about the fence.’

In an email thread between Mr and Mrs Minshull and the site manager, the couple have claimed that they were told not to worry.

But within days the estate agency handling the exchange is said to have contacted them to say David Martin, of Graceloft Ltd, had withdrawn the property from sale. The couple claim it was then put back on the market for £75,000 more. 

Mr Martin told the Falmouth Packet at the time: ‘All I can say is we’ve built 20 houses on that site already, we didn’t have any problem with them and there’s about eight or nine also pre-sold and we’ve got no problems with them.

‘It’s gone up in price, quite dramatically, but so have several others there, but the deals have gone through, these things happen in these times.

‘There’s over 20 houses already sold on the site that we didn’t have any difference with them, we’ve got really satisfied customers and the properties are selling well up there.

‘And yes, the property has increased in value quite considerably. Seeing as I withdrew from it, I increased the price to sell it again, but that’s only business. I don’t feel I’ve done anything wrong and that’s all I can say.’

Mr and Mrs Minshull spent thousands of pounds on solicitor fees, mortgage costs and custom wardrobes and blinds when it fell through

In a statement, Olivers Estate Agents, who were dealing with the property, said: ‘It was an unfortunate case on both sides, we can empathise on both sides of the coin.

‘We were following our instructions, as we would any of our vendors.

‘I spoke to them earlier that day to inform them that our vendor was no longer wanting to sell the property to them, for reasons between our vendor and Mr and Mrs Minshull, and that was followed up with an email confirming it.’

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