Killed by the Budget: Pensioner, 92, electrocuted himself because of taxes

A pensioner tormented by the soaring cost of living electrocuted himself after the last Budget ‘tipped him over the edge’.

An inquest heard that former repair man George Mechan, 92, taped wires to his fingers and killed himself after reading about Alistair Darling’s economic plans.

His family say he had become increasingly concerned about rising bills and believe the Budget on March 12 this year worried him so much that he took his own life.

His daughter, Sheila Bellingham, 51, found him slumped in an armchair the day after the Chancellor’s House of Commons address.

Yesterday she said: ‘He was perfectly happy until the Budget. The

newspaper was open at his feet on the Budget page when he died.

‘This confirms to me that it was the Budget that triggered him and pushed him over the edge. He did this as a protest.

‘He was very unhappy with the Budget and afraid with the way things were going. He felt forgotten and neglected by the country and the Government.’

Mr Mechan, a widower since his wife Pat died in 2003 aged 83, had never installed central heating at his home in Mark, Somerset, in order to save money.

His family say the retired TV engineer, who had another daughter who lives in Australia, used Calor Gas for ‘quick blasts of heat’ but was often cold during the winter months.

Mrs Bellingham, a teacher from nearby Rooksbridge, said: ‘He would always ask questions about our bills and say things were looking bad for the future.

‘He had been worried for a while about all the things he needed. He was really struggling with heating and would often be cold to try and save money.’

She continued: ‘Because he was on a fixed income he was worried he would not have enough money.

'He had a state pension and a small private pension but it was never enough.

'The pension was never indexed-linked so it did not go up with inflation.’

Mrs Bellingham discovered his body after calling at his home on March 13, the day after the Budget.

There was no answer at the door so she borrowed a key from a neighbour and found her father in his pyjamas and slippers with his fingers wired to the mains.

A note left on the dining room table read: ‘It has been a good life but too long. Please look after Daisy (his cat), Love Dad.’

Lethal: Alistair Darling on Budget day

In his Budget, Mr Darling pledged a one-off cash boost to nine million pensioners to help pay utility bills, with the over-60s receiving £250 and the over-80s £400.

But it was claimed at the time that this would fail to cover the rise in energy costs and pensioners were being forced to choose between eating and heating.

Mrs Bellingham told the inquest at West Somerset Coroner’s Court: ‘Something tipped him over the edge – the Budget was announced just the day before.’

Coroner Michael Rose recorded the cause of death as electrocution and a verdict of suicide.

He said: ‘Mrs Bellingham is a very kind person and one who would tell the truth. She attributes his death entirely to financial pressures and the Budget.

‘It would not be right for me to make political comment but she thinks he was killed by the Budget and extra taxes, which he perceived to be on the elderly.

‘I extend my deepest sympathy to his family.’