The widow of a man who killed himself by jumping in front of a train has called for more to be done to help people suffering from depression.

Road safety engineer Peter Bane, 48, from Happisburgh, Norfolk, died when he was hit by both a passenger and a freight train at Witham railway station in Essex on February 16, 2010.

The father-of-three was found with a suicide note in his pocket and had told the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust that he was contemplating taking his own life on at least three occasions in the two weeks leading up to his death.

His wife, Angela Bane, has now spoken out about her concerns that cuts to mental health services around the country could contribute to further tragedies.

Mrs Bane said: "Peter was let down when he needed professional help most.

"As we hear more and more news about cuts to mental health services and budget restraints, what happened to Peter only goes to show what a poor state many mental health services in the UK are in."

Mr Bane was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment 11 days before his death.

An inquest held in 2011 found that information about the severity of his condition was lost in the process of referral from his GP to mental health services because the calls were received by receptionists, rather than mental health professionals, who have the responsibility of ensuring vital information is recorded.


The trust has since reached an undisclosed settlement with his family and said changes had been made to prevent future incidents.


Dr Hadrian Ball, medical director at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said:  "Services have been improved substantially since Mr Bane's death to reduce the chance of anything similar happened again."