Overview

• Senior Coroner Clare Bailey concluded that Jodey Whiting’s suicide was rooted in a deteriorating mental state after her benefits were wrongly stopped
• The inquest identified five missed opportunities by the DWP to prevent errors and referenced an Independent Case Examiner report urging a £10,000 payment to Whiting’s family
• Joy Dove’s eight-year legal campaign for a second inquest overturned an initial 2017 hearing that did not consider the impact of benefit decisions
• DWP director Helga Swidenbank expressed deep regret over the case and vowed to shift toward a more compassionate approach for vulnerable claimants
• The verdict has intensified calls for accountability, systemic welfare reform and thorough inquests into deaths tied to benefit decisions