Inquest concludes Dad of two died in Margate on night he went missing
By Isle of Thanet Gazette | Posted: April 03, 2015
By David Archer [email protected]
A DAD of two who disappeared after leaving a goodbye message for his wife was in financial difficulty and had been confronted by elders at his church over the discovery of pornographic images online, an inquest was told this week.
Martin Leathead, of Upper Dane Road, Margate, had been reported missing on February 13, 2014, by his wife Leah after she was sent a text at 10.14pm saying he had left a brown envelope with important documents in his office.
The message also said their car was parked at Turner Contemporary and that he was "sorry for all that I have done to you" which led her to believe he had committed suicide.
At the same time as the text was sent, Mr Leathead also e-mailed Kent Police saying he was going to commit suicide at Margate harbour and he had parked his car, a blue Renault Laguna, at the Turner Contemporary, leaving the keys on the dashboard.
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This e-mail was not picked up that evening. Mr Leathead's body has never been found.
The night in question was stormy with a high tide, making it impossible to track the location of where Mr Leathead's body could be.
Mr Leathead, who was a self-employed graphic designer, had left his home at approximately 9.15pm on February 13, telling his wife he was going to his parents' house for the night after a disagreement.
The life of the 43-year-old, who was an elder for Jehovah's Witnesses, had unravelled in the week leading to his disappearance. Friends and fellow elders John Gregory and John Dale confronted Mr Leathead after they were told pornographic material had been found online on Monday, February 10.
Mr Dale, in evidence at the inquest on Wednesday at Canterbury, said he had known Mr Leathead for seven years and regarded him as respected and intelligent. He said: "It (the material) came as a shock to me. Everyone was shocked. At this stage just myself and John Gregory met with him at my home. He denied the allegations. We pressed him and he gave excuses. At that stage he said someone had hacked his computer. He was very vague."
They decided they would meet Mr Leathead again on February 14.
The site with the images on was monitored and, within 20 minutes of Mr Leathead leaving Mr Dale's house, the material was removed.
His wife was told by Mr Gregory about the material and she confronted her husband who eventually admitted to putting the images on the internet. It was at that point Mr Leathead said he thought "it would be better" if he spent the night at his parents and was persuaded by his wife to take some clothes and a toothbrush with him. He left his wallet and passport behind.
Mrs Leathead, said: "His membership to the church was very important to him. He was a very good father and respected in the community."
Since he went missing, police investigations discovered Mr Leathead was also in financial difficulty, "maxing out" his credit cards.
Mrs Leathead was unaware of the situation.
Investigations also showed a shadowy figure on CCTV walking at Margate harbour at 9.39pm on February 13 but no identification could be made from the footage.
Recording an open verdict, coroner Alan Blunsdon said: "It's important not to speculate. There are circumstances that led us to believe he took his own life and certainly evidence from Martin indicates that was his intention. The conclusion is that Martin probably died on February 13, 2014 in Margate. It's an open conclusion. I hope now that this nightmare begins to be closed and if you (Mrs Leathead) have any difficulty we will do whatever we can to support you."
Read more: http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk/Inquest-concludes-Dad-died-Margate-night-went/story-26272711-detail/story.html#ixzz3Wez98tZL
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