A WOODLEY man who faced disciplinary action at work jumped in front of a train at Twyford station, an inquest heard on Tuesday.
Matthew Gaines, 42, of Elwood Close, died on May 22 this year after stepping off platform one at Twyford Station, into the path of a high-speed service.
Coroner Peter Bedford reported how Mr Gaines had been suspended from his job at at an unnamed depot in Reading and had been summoned to a disciplinary hearing on the day he died.
Union representative Sue Stevens, who worked with Mr Gaines for six years, said in a statement how Mr Gaines had appeared ‘anxious and concerned’ when he had spoken to her in the days leading up to the hearing.
Ms Stevens had offered to attend the hearing, which had been rescheduled from May 19, with Mr Gaines to offer support and advice.
She said in a statement: “[Mr Gaines] liked order and structure in his life, and had never given cause for concern during his employment until this point. He was obviously anxious and concerned about the suspension.”
At 1pm on Friday, May 22, Ms Stevens joined Mr Gaines at the hearing, attended by Mr John Bickerton, part of the senior management of Mr Gaines’ team, which lasted around 50 minutes.
Mr Bickerton said: “The hearing was emotionally charged. Mr Gaines seemed stressed, and when the panel reconvened to deliver its statement, he got up and left the room.”
According to Ms Stevens’ statement, Mr Gaines had told her “I can’t do this anymore” before running out of the depot.
The inquest heard how Mr Gaines made his way to Reading railway station, where he was seen on CCTV footage boarding a train to Twyford. He was seen again by CCTV at Twyford Station crossing the bridge and heading to platform one, where he waited for 10 minutes before he was seen to step forward just as a high speed train was entering the station.
Summing up the evidence, Mr Bedford said that Mr Gaines had led a ‘structured and ordered life’, he ‘played by the rules and did everything right’, which could explain why he reacted in such an ‘extreme’ way to the conclusion of the misconduct hearing.
Having reviewed all the evidence Mr Bedford concluded that Mr Gaines had taken his own life.
